In The Grimm Darkness
by Darkerpaths
Summary: Warhammer 40k, RWBY crossover. Remnant is not as alone as it was once thought to be. The galaxy and all of it's dangers are closing in. Starting with one of the unknown Primarchs crashing on the planet in his gestation capsule. Dark times are ahead for everyone on Remnant. Will try to follow rwby cannon until vol2 is over. Then the real fun begins. M for violence and language.
1. The distant future

**A/N First story go big or go home. Warhammer 40k and RWBY crossover. Why? Why not I've seen crazier stuff here. I do not own anything from either series they all belong to their respective owners. I just claim proprietorship of the cross over concept, Enjoy, or hate whatever**

Remnant has changed much since its isolation on the edge of the galaxy ended long ago.

But one fact has remained unchanged. This world has been the forge of mighty heroes since long before the Horus Heresy. And all of these heroes have come from the finest school for warriors in the galaxy Beacon Academy.

What once was an academy for hunters sworn to hold back the tide of the creatures of Grimm from the four forgotten kingdoms, now serves as the training ground for The Emperor's greatest warriors, the Adeptus Astartes, Space marines, Angels of Death.

Not only the Astartes, many elite regiments of the Imperial Guard have been raised from the population of Remnant and elsewhere and claimed just as much honor as their super human brethren.

It is a candle in the cold night kindling hopes for a better tomorrow. Beacon Academy now bears the burden of protecting uncounted billions of innocents across the vast expanse of the Imperium of Man.

Shadows however shroud the memory of this vibrant place, home world of one of the first legions the Emperor created, and one whom many would rather forget existed.

Today however was not a time to dwell in the dark past. Losses among the successor chapters have been relatively few and quickly replaced. Therefore several hundred newly made marines are without a chapter sitting idly behind the walls of Beacon.

So today a new chapter was to be founded, these warriors would face their greatest test of all and be judged by the oldest living member of the legion they were created from.

Behind the training fields for the Imperial Guard, past the Astartes testing ground, deep in Beacon's fortress monastery rests the archives, a massive monument to the glorious history of all of the warriors who trained on this sacred ground.

Long and tall hallways filled with murals of great battles, statues of fallen heroes, trophies of wars and conquests, since the earliest recorded history of Remnant through all of the thirteen Black Crusades. Last in the center the holy grave sites, and memorials of all the warriors of Remnant who had given their lives for mankind.

And the tomb of the Primarch in whose image the original legion was crafted.

The hopeful Astartes stood at attention in front of this tomb and before the guardian of the archives, the venerable dreadnought Sun Wukong, one of the oldest warriors in the imperium and the last living soul who had fought in the Great Crusade side by side with the Primarch.

Sun had fought with all his might to hold back the darkness that plagued humanity until injuries rendered him crippled but yet still able to serve after being emplaced in this cybernetic combat harness, which preserved his life for the last ten thousand years.

If Wukong found them unworthy in any way he would not hesitate to kill any number of them. Purge their weakness from the ranks of humanity's guardians.

Wukong had seen many of the horrors waiting amongst the false hope of the bright stars in the sky. He knew only the best could be trusted to uphold their sacred duty and not flee before any number of the potential threats they could be called against

Or worse due the unthinkable and turn on those they had sworn to defend.

Silently the hopeful chapter master knelt before the ancient one. Sun silently read data screens projected on his vision through the records the academy's teachers had on every single one of the space marines who would be part of this new chapter. No details would be overlooked by Sun and so this process took nearly two whole days.

Finally Sun turned to the kneeling warrior and spoke

**"****_What is your name?_****"**

"Mikado Krest."

**_"_****_Have you passed through all of the tests the teachers have laid before you?"_**

"Yes great one, unfailing or faltering."

**_"_****_Have you been deemed the best choice to lead your new chapter?"_**

"Yes, unanimously by all of the teachers who have taught us the art of war."

**_"_****_Who do you serve?"_**

"The God Emperor, no other man living or dead."

Sun took a step forward toward Mikado.

**_"_****_We were made to serve the Emperor yes, and his greatest wish was that humanity would thrive. That one day we would know peace across the stars. He served humanity, and so do we, he sacrificed himself for humanity and we may too . Beacons in the dark, paragons of virtue and glory to rise above all. We honor his memory by placing ourselves between the defenseless and those who would drown the galaxy in blood. What is honor Chapter Master?"_**

Mikado silently let out a breath in his head, Wukong had found him worthy to be called chapter master.

"Honor is the debt we owe ourselves, honor is duty fulfilled."

**_"_****_What is your duty Space Marine?"_**

"To defend humanity with all of my strength, to guide my brothers to triumph over our enemies. And if the price of that duty is our lives so be it."

Sun stepped back satisfied. Now he spoke to all of the assembled warriors. And once more began the tale of the long road from the past to the present, which he did for all of the chapters at their founding.

**_"_****_Never forget your duty, always remember all of the past you see around you. And what we learned with and from the boy who fell from the heavens to this world ten thousand years ago."_**


	2. Discovery

**First chapter was kind of stupidly rushed, still can't remember why but I took my time on the second, enjoy.**

Cinder had never understood why so many people hated the winter.

So many people saw it as a time of death and darkness. To her the fresh snow represented a clean slate. A new tapestry waiting for the hand of an artist. A chance to begin again after whatever mistakes had scared the warmer months.

It was a beautiful night in the highlands of Atlas and for the moment she was alone in in her own private room at the edge of this small log cabin resort village. Various people she came here to meet with had left for the night to contact their supporters abroad, or they were otherwise engaged with normal nighttime activities.

While Cinder did enjoy winter she saw no need to be out in the deathly cold at this time of night, unlike her two protégées who were spending a few days out in the wilderness as part of further "training".

Cinder had honestly just grow tired of their company for the moment and so she had convinced them that their survival skills were sorely lacking in a few departments, so they were spending a few days out in the wilds. In the mean time she met with members of the White Fang and some necessary but unsavory characters from other parts of Vale and the other three kingdoms to finalize plans she had for the near future.

Cinder sat quietly looking out at the stars, this far away from any large city there were more than she had ever seen before. It was a rare moment of tranquility in her chaotic life.

Suddenly however an unexpected borealis cut across the night sky. It was far from an unpleasant surprise. Cinder had been hoping to see one of the fabled light shows on this trip but had so far been disappointed.

The locals however had not done this display justice with their description. There were no wavy blue green lights floating through the darkness. This was a much more majestic column of red and purple fire burning tall in the night sky.

Such a rare occurrence took her breath away. The sky seemed to boil around the edges of this display. But it seemed that the sky was full of surprises tonight. A comet streaked out of the fiery pillar and sailed down toward the greater mountains on the horizon.

3 days later

Mercury was miserable when he was cold and when he was miserable he bitched, he bitched a lot, and Emerald couldn't decide whether this was preferable to his normal shady snarkiness and just irritating demeanor.

This little exercise hadn't been all that bad in her opinion. They had fire when they needed and good winter clothing. Nothing had attacked them and neither of them tripped and sprained an ankle or something else embarrassing.

She just didn't appreciate the way that she got grouped together with Mercury in every way possible in Cinder's eyes. Meaning that whenever that idiot pissed off Cinder in some way Emerald had to share his punishment.

However he had irked their teacher this time the result was this little nature hike through one of the most dangerous forests on the planet during one of the most hostile times of the year.

No one knew exactly why but the creatures of Grimm thrived under the bleakest of circumstances. Some theorized the more hopeless people became the greater the strength of the Grimm was. More practical types spoke of easier prey and mating cycles. It didn't mean much who was right to Emerald, all she knew was that she had to be extra careful of her surroundings.

Mercury was mumbling to himself about something or other again, wet boots, hunger, she didn't know. As long as he was paying attention while on point she would tolerate his whining.

While rounding a corner on a downward sloping path Mercury suddenly shut up and knelt down in the snow.

Emerald was just about to rip him a verbal new one when Mercury spoke.

"Look, blood trail."

"What?"

"Fresh too."

"It's probably an animal."

"With a print like that?"

A set of very human footprints was pressed in to the fresh snow. They were a decent size so it couldn't be a child, so either an adult or older teen. However…

"No shoes, must be a hermit running for help, definitely going to have a case of frostbite if they didn't have time to dress properly."

To their left several snapped branches in the tree line indicated that the stranger had not known about the path or was in to much of a hurry to care.

Mercury turned from the path to follow the signs of damage.

Emerald stepped in front of him,

'Where do you think you're going?"

"After our lost friend, this is the first interesting thing that has happened all week."

"We're supposed to be back in town by tomorrow. If we keep going we can make it by dark."

"Yeah we have plenty of time."

"We don't know who this is, a pack of Beowolves or who knows what could be through there."

'Exactly I'm bored as hell."

With that remark Mercury pushed her aside and disappeared into the brush. Seeing no other option she took off after him.

An hour later after following the slowing path of destroyed forest, less and less blood, and footprints grouped closer together. They finally found who they were pursuing.

A tall, muscled teenager sat on a fallen tree in the middle of the clearing, trying to pull teeth out of a large bite mark on his left shoulder. The angle of the wound looked like a Beowolf had got him from a high angle while his back was possibly turned.

That wasn't nearly the most shocking thing about this boy. He wasn't just lacking shoes, the only thing he was technically wearing was a tattered blanket or tarp over his right side of his body while he attended his wound. Aside from that he was naked as newborn, which let the companions see the other shallow slash marks from claws and minor scrapes which must have been from branches. He was a surprisingly healthy color, he didn't appear at all effected by the cold, and there were no obvious signs of frostbite that they could see from afar.

As Emerald and Mercury approached the boy, he noticed their approach and suddenly stood up clutching what looked like half a jaw bone from a Beowolf in his right hand and held it like a knife in what wasn't really a threatening gesture, but still didn't ignite any warm feelings in either Mercury or Emerald, who stopped dead in their tracks.

Emerald stepped forward hands raised before her, not wanting to alarm the stranger who seemed primed for violence.

"It's okay, we just want to help"

No sign of understanding crossed his face and the boy began to step back into the trees.

"Mercury put your hands up and talk to him."

"Why he's gonna run."

"And we need to stop him."

With a resigned sigh Mercury also raised his hands and tried to put on some sort of smile aside from his usual shit eating grin.

Emerald took a few more steps forward and was almost within arm's reach.

"It's okay we're friends."

Tension left the boys muscles and he slumped back down onto the log, looking up at Emerald as Mercury approached. Mercury held their first aid kit and began examining the bite mark.

"What's your name?" asked Mercury

He turned his head toward Mercury but said nothing, just giving him a look of confusion like he was trying to understand the words.

"Do you speak Vytan?"

Again silence, not a word of anything at all.

"Maybe he can't talk." Emerald suggested.

She reached into Mercury's bag and pulled out some of his spare clothes which only earned her a scowl from him. She just smiled.

"You want to keep staring at all he's got to offer? I think I misjudged you some what my friend."

Mercury just turned back to stitching the puncture wounds closed, scowling even worse. Emerald never missed an opportunity to pull a fast one on him.

Half an hour later they had dressed the silent boy's wounds and got him decently clothed against the elements. He still had not said a word aside from slightly sucking in air through his clenched teeth when they had poured disinfectant on some of his cuts.

Together they walked back to the path and resumed their trek back to the village.

Both Emerald and Mercury continued questioning the teen and still only got silence for an answer, but at the same time they were speculating wildly in their heads.

Just who the hell was this boy?


	3. Mystery

So far nothing that either Emerald or Mercury had done had been this irritating. This little stunt wasn't even a real problem for Cinder just quite a strange mystery that had dropped into her lap.

The boy the two of them had brought back from the forest was certainly an interesting individual. He was strikingly handsome without being delicate at all. He had intriguing eyes a shade of pale orange, with a bright spark of intelligence at their core. Short fuzzy hair which looked like it had seen better days covered most of the top of his head. He was a little taller than Mercury but not by much, lengths of muscles wrapped themselves around his body, plainly obvious through the borrowed clothing that wasn't exactly the right size for him.

Even though he still had not said a word the boy looked at everyone when they talked, seemed to understand the meaning of the tone of voice they were using, and responded to hand gestures and other broad non-verbal actions.

Cinder had tried to get a sense of his aura strength once she got within arm's reach of him, however when she laid a hand on his arm she didn't feel any sort of outward energy from him. Just the normal distant awareness of power and light, like a candle far away at midnight that you just barely notice, what anyone with their aura still locked had.

If he had survived who knows how long in the winter wilderness without an active aura or semblance he was no ordinary teen.

The four of them sat in the empty restaurant for the lodge resort that Cinder had held her latest round of negotiations and meetings in.

It was surprising that Atlas had such a vibrant tourist industry when the primary income for the country came from the ever valuable Dust exports through the Schnee Dust Company and a few of their lucky competitors who desperately clung to mineral rights on this Dust, and metal rich land.

Some enterprising locals had decided that the visiting executives needed a place close by to unwind after grueling inspections and often brutal negotiation with their competitors, buyers, or work forces.

However when none of those high and mighty types were in town this place still had decent business from the more fortunate denizens of Atlas and their families who could afford to take a vacation form the never ending thankless toil through which the world got its Dust.

Cinder had ordered a heavy lunch for her returning students and the boy. A hearty soup made from some type of meat mixed with a lot of local winter vegetables along with some fresh bread. From which the mysterious lad had already consumed three large bowls of soup as well as two loaves of bread from and was busy working on half of a third loaf as a waiter got him more soup.

Emerald once again told Cinder how they had come across him, and what she and Mercury thought about his origins. Cinder was dubious of their theories.

There were no hermits in these mountains. If there were they were probably criminals hiding from the world who thought they could escape into the wild. Anyone trying to live up there would have to have copious amounts of well-made survival gear and weapons with some idea of how to use them. Otherwise there were uncountable ways to part violently from the world cold and alone so far from any form of help up in those trees. They would not be running around buck naked in the middle of winter looking like an Ursa's lost chew toy.

It was plainly obvious that however intelligent this boy appeared he had no form of formal education. He couldn't speak and couldn't figure out simple objects and devices around him until he saw someone use them, or just stared at it for a minute.

His silence was certainly one of the strangest things about him. He didn't try to prattle on or talk slowly in any lanquage at all. He just didn't talk. Cinder at least needed to hear something from him before she jumped to any conclusions, or made any decisions.

"Mercury."

"What?"

"Get him to talk."

"What do you mean?"

"I would like to hear what he has to say about himself."

"He's got nothing to say. Didn't even thank me for stitching him up."

"I know, teach him."

"Scuse me?"

"Obviously he doesn't know how to talk at all. Start teaching him Vytan."

"Why?"

"If you can get him to talk in any other language that will be fine too, if he could speak anything at all he would have by now. So I am fairly certain he doesn't know how to talk."

"How the fuck am I supposed to teach him?"

"That is your problem. Emerald and I have to meet Mr. Xiong about his "friends" in Vale. Get him to talk, I don't care how long it takes."

With that, Cinder got up and left the dining room, Emerald stood up as well and gave Mercury a grin of triumph and turned around to follow Cinder. Mercury turned to his new silent student and saw those eyes looking him square in the face like he knew something was about to happen.

"I hate you, you know that?"

Mercury saw all of his loathing reflected back in that silent stare.


	4. Breaking silence

**A/N Goddammit I hate looking back and seeing stuff I messed up on. Typo in the description little b.s in the last chapter which i don't know how to fix. Bear with me I'm still new at this. Thank you all for taking the time to check this out. Anyway hey RWBY is fucking finally back tonight yay. Enjoy. Reviews of any sort would be appreciated no need to be gentle. Second note, so the net doesn't like that a certain name is spelled wrong and so has been cutting it fixed now sorry for first hack jobs, fixed other ch too**

Mercury didn't have a clue how he was going to get this asshole to talk. Goddam Emerald would probably have more success, that bitch had all kinds of patience for little things. Why she got to go be important while he was stuck playing baby sitter was beyond him.

Back in the lobby of the one main resort building which housed some of the lower end guest rooms, there was the usual corner spot filled with children's toys and books, meant to occupy the little ankle biters while their parents checked in.

Mercury didn't really have any other idea how to do this, he was pretty sure this silence was just an act anyway, so if this guy wanted to act like a child that's how he would be treated.

He grabbed one of the books which was supposed to teach little kids the alphabet. It had the whole thing spelled out in big letters through the whole thing and the stupid little this is for that and blah, blah, blah. He took the book and set it on one of the coffee tables close by and beckoned the quiet guy over.

"Alright here ya go, A,B,C,D…."

Mercury read out all of the letters to him once and then left to go find his room.

"Have fun."

Mr. Xiong had given Cinder some contacts who might be persuaded to work with her once she arrived in Vale. That phase of her plan was till about three years away but she could finally start making progress on the project she had dedicated herself to.

But first things first she needed to talk to Mercury and the boy.

Emerald had tracked Mercury's scroll to his lodge since Mercury was refusing to answer calls at the moment, and Cinder was going to remind him why she didn't like to be ignored when she saw him again.

As the two of them entered the lobby however they it became obvious that Mercury may have genuinely been busy.

There were all kinds of books, magazines and reading material strewn across the floor, a radio was tuned to a talk show and both televisions in opposite corners of the room were tuned to a news show and a children's education program.

In the center of this great mess their silent guest sat looking at several magazines and a dictionary.

Cinder saw Mercury was hanging by the front desk looking very confused. Cinder decided to try and alleviate some of that confusion.

"So that wasn't that hard, you seem to be making progress."

"This wasn't me."

"Really, slacking off again?"

"Honestly yes, I just read him the alphabet and took off, hoping he would drop this quiet act."

"Well has he?"

"In a way…"

Deciding to cut to the chase Cinder approached the boy.

"You can understand me, yes?"

"Now…yes."

It was very shocking to hear him talk. His voice was deep and he spoke slowly as if he had to choose each word very carefully. Cinder continued her questioning

"Why didn't you speak before?"

"Not.. know words…never talk before."

No wonder Mercury is so confused.

_Never talk before_

"Why?"

The boy looked away, and lost focus in his eyes. He started moving his mouth slightly like he was practicing words for something important he was about to say.

Cinder beckoned Emerald and Mercury over to her, and quietly gave them instructions.

"I want you to leave us for a minute."

Emerald and Mercury both had almost identical looks of indignation cross their faces. Certainly not fond of the idea of leaving just when they might get some answers.

But Cinder had a strange premonition that whatever she was about to uncover might best be known to as few as possible, even amongst her inner circle.

"Go, now."

Her students left the lobby, though she waited a few moments until she sensed they were well out of eaves dropping distance before she asked the one question that had been on her mind since she met this boy.

"Where are you from?"


	5. Cast away

**_Elsewhere, Long ago_**

As he awoke for the first time the unnamed boy found himself suspended in a capsule filled with a thick liquid, swirling with multicolored currents of unknown substances.

Though he himself lacked the proper ways to describe his environment, he knew one thing.

He was frightened.

But he did not call this sensation fear.

Jolts of cold energy flowed through his veins. His heart hammered against his ribs as if threatening to burst. He began to breathe much quicker than he had before he gained consciousness.

There was an apparatus around his face, covering his mouth and nose, with hoses reaching above him to connect with the ceiling. Though he did not know it, this mask was providing him oxygen, keeping him alive.

But right now it felt as if it was choking him.

He needed to get it off.

Fingers ripping at the sides he pulled with all his strength trying to take it off.

Sounds rushed above his head and a new type of fluid flowed into his lonely chamber. His eyelids felt heavy and his heart started to slow.

Loosing strength, his hands and arms went slack and he could no longer move, but he did not got to sleep. Still panicky with fear he began to look around this strange world. One of his hands drifted forward and came to a sudden stop at almost his full arm extension.

Beyond that barrier he looked out and saw polished floors and walls, banks of lights and displays that meant nothing to him. He didn't know what any of this was, he had not been conscious before now.

Fighting the weariness overcoming him he leaned forward and saw others in tanks floating like him. But not like him at the same time, these others weren't moving, they slept like he had before as they drifted limply in their watery world.

All of them were being tended to by grotesque figures hunched over in single mindedness. These pale unions of flesh and metal moved back and forth between the monitors on the walls and the tanks adjacent to them. They appeared to have a body of flesh like him but it was a twisted mockery strewn with sharp edges of metal, and hideous glowing lights badly concealed by a plain white robe. One of these beings was adjusting something on the panels in front his tank.

Weaker now but no less afraid the boy tried to move again but his body wouldn't respond although his mind was very active.

From down the hall a new figure appeared. One very different from the figures he had observed so far.

This man towered above the mechanical ones, no cybernetics marred his form. He wore a majestic suit of golden armor adorned with a long red robe. The man had a very regal face, and long flowing black hair, beneath a shining golden crown adorned with many jewels. He shone with an almost unbearable brightness, the boy shut his eyes and almost passed out but he forced himself to look again.

The giant walked down the halls pressing his hands against the tanks with the others in them, he looked at the displays, and spoke for a moment with the technicians and then moved on.

Until he came to the boy's tank.

When the boy met the eyes of the man, there was a surprised look on his face.

The golden one outside had not expected any of his sons to be awake so soon.

Leaning forward he pressed his hands against the container and smiled at the boy floating there. Finally the boy felt less afraid. Almost as if he could feel the reassurance and sense of safety that the man outside was trying to project.

More of the calming substance was flushed into the tank and this time he did not fight the wave of blackness sweeping over him. Knowing that he was not in any danger he drifted back to sleep and dreamt of what he saw, and what else might be outside this place.

**_Later_**

Something was wrong

Danger was coming.

Dormant instincts were waking up screaming at him to get ready to fight.

He tore himself away from his pleasant dreams and twisted in his tank trying to free himself again.

He had to get out.

Had to find the golden one, he could protect him.

The old feelings of fear and panic were coming back stronger than ever.

But it was too late for anyone to help him.

The corridor outside was suddenly filled with fire. Shades of red, violet, and purple engulfed everything outside. The technicians monitoring the tanks and displays were suddenly set ablaze. They flailed around helplessly screaming in pain though the boy did not hear their cries of suffering.

The front of the glass capsule suddenly rushed forward and the boy painfully slammed into it. He did not know what was happening but he could no longer see out of the tank. It was just a solid wall of flame.

It felt as if he was moving very quickly though he had no idea where or why.

However patterns soon appeared in the fire, but not just patterns evil faces leering down at him laughing at his misery. Indescribable monsters clawing at the tank trying to get inside. Others smiling mockingly, trying to beckon him out. His world shook with the violence of these unknown aggressors.

Beyond those, he could see mysterious twisted landscapes beyond the faces, and flames now and again. They passed by sometimes too fast for him to get a good idea of what they were. Or maybe he passed through them to quickly

All these horrors were too much for the boy to witness. His mind began to go back into the merciful darkness of unconsciousness.

He floated on endlessly through the tides of darkness only occasionally waking up and still seeing that the nightmare the world had become outside had not gone away.

All sense of time was burned away.

It seemed as though this was to be his world forever.

Until at long last the flames started to disappear, the demon faces vanished but that was not reassuring at all.

Spat out from that realm of fire and evil, a new landscape spread beneath him far below.

A landscape that he was quickly approaching.

With a massive crash his tank smashed into the side of a mountain, the impact almost knocked him unconscious. He bounced once and landed again, this time sliding down the cliffs plowing a deep trench into the earth as his tank scraped to a halt.

Cracks finally appeared in the glass barrier and the fluid slowly leaked out of the tank. And he floated down to the bottom as it left.

It was dark out, the boy had no idea what had happened to him. He was in shock from this ordeal, and just went limp at the bottom of the container and tried to rest.

But his luck was not going to be that good tonight.

The tank shook, startling the boy awake.

Something was pushing at the weakened glass trying to get in.

He looked up and saw a dark shadowy creature hook claws into a few of the large gaps in the glass and began rolling the tank to the side. It had long limbs and a slightly hunched over stance.

Evil orange eyes glowed on its long white mask of bone decorated with swirling, twisting red lines.

The device on his face was loose so the boy finally grabbed hold of one of the edges and ripped it off. He gasped and filled his lungs full of fresh air and let it out in an explosive sigh.

Sniffing at the breaks and missing pieces in the glass wall. The beast outside pushed the empty capsule around, trying to get to the boy in side.

When it attempted to shove its head through one of the larger gaps it soon became stuck from all of its twisting and too much eagerness.

But it had rotated the capsule around so that one of the larger holes was at a convenient place for the boy to crawl through.

It was a tight fit and he almost eviscerated himself on the jagged edges but he escaped and stood in the night air.

Only to have a second creature leap forward from the shadows snarling and gnashing its teeth in bloodlust.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Caught off guard, he really didn't have a plan of action. And the monster was nearing to fast for him to dodge out of the way.

His arms rose in reflex and he had locked both of his hands on the creature's shoulders before he knew what was happening. Now the two of them were locked in a shoving match pushing back and forth before the trench his arrival had made over a ledge.

Claws dug into his upper arms as the beast attempted to break from his grasp, or force the boy to the ground. But if he let go it would get away and maybe come back with more of them. He stood firm and pushed back as hard as he could. Here he could control the situation.

At least he thought until the first one now freed from the glass charged him from behind, leapt and sank its teeth over where his left shoulder sloped up to his neck.

He himself howled in rage and pain, spun trying to dislodge the creature, shaking and turning but still holding onto the beast in front of him.

The one on his back shook its head deepening its bite refusing to let go. This animal was heavy and its sudden arrival sent all three of them falling over the ledge.

As they fell he mustered all of his strength and threw the one before him to the side, sending it tumbling down a different path than the one the other two were headed for.

It was a small drop only 8 feet or so. But it knocked the wind out of him. The beast on his back faired far worse, caught between the ground and its prey. There was an audible crack as it landed on a pile of rocks. The howls coming from its mouth changed to cries of pain as it attempted to roll itself back onto all fours but its lower legs wouldn't respond.

So it was helpless as its intended victim raised a jagged rock high above his head in both hands and smashed it down on its face.

Repeatedly, each blow harder than the last.

Once its head and skull were a splintered ruin the boy dropped his rock and stood back and suddenly doubled over hands on his knees violently puking up bile from his empty stomach.

Panting and still in shock the boy closed his eyes and gathered his wits again.

Wits enough to realize that the cracking to his right was probably not a good thing.

The creature he had thrown during their fall was charging full speed on all fours right at him.

With a yell he threw himself backwards dodged the flying monster and awkwardly landed arms outstretched on the rocks the dead one lay on.

Many rocks long, and short, thin and thick all manner of different types but basically the same shaped rocks.

His battle with the monsters had spilled over into a bone yard of Grimm.

His right hand landed in the long dead mouth of one of the skeletons and when he tried to stand up and put his weight on his hands the jaw pushed deep and painfully into his hand.

With all of the adrenaline coursing through him he didn't feel much.

Instincts guided his hands.

If this object had harmed him it may also harm what was trying to hurt him.

Getting a firm grip on the jaw he ripped it out of the skeleton and swung himself back around to face his foe.

It was keeping back, pacing a few feet away, cautious now after seeing the fate of its pack mate.

The boy raised his make shift weapon and his empty left hand up into a fighting stance.

Beowolves prefer to ambush weaker prey when alone, this prey had already killed its brother and looked ready and willing to do the same to it, the wolf began to back away.

The boy saw this and registered it as weakness, screaming and fueled with animal savagery he lunged at the fleeing monster, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

His left hand latched onto its right ear to keep it still as he drove the jawbone up and into the side of the wolf again and again.

Yelping with pain the wolf attempted to rush forward in and knock over its attacker and escape into the night.

Spinning right and pulling the monster, he threw it hard to the ground and knelt down on its chest pushing his right knee directly onto the dreadful hole he had carved into its side as he brought his blade directly down into its right eye, wide open with fear and shock, the bone pierced its brain and ended its existence.

Sitting on top of the now very dead wolf, he pulled the jaw bone out of its eye and finally took in his surroundings.

It was dark, skeletal remains dotted the way down the mountain into the tall shapes covered with the cool white powder all around him.

Up in the sky the rift that brought him to this world began to fade away, revealing the stars uncountable dots of light in the dark.

Those did not hold his attention for long as he noticed the shattered moon in the sky, which seemed to be the brightest source of light around.

He shivered as the wind chilled him to the core.

Howls echoed through the trees from far away, more creatures were coming, looking for their kin.

He had to leave, had to get away from this place.

A pile of abandoned rusty tools lay placed on a tarp not far away in the bone yard, forgotten by some unkown scientist or archaeologist . None of these things held interest to him, except for the tarp.

He remembered the cape on the shoulders of the golden giant, from when he first woke stuck in the capsule.

Taking it from the ground he draped it across his shoulders, it shielded him from what cold he could feel

Oblivious to the wounds he had received from the creatures he took off down the mountain.

He did not know where he was headed or what he was going to do, but instincts told him this was better than sticking around.


	6. Decisions

What in the world was this kid talking about.

His slow speech and vague words made his tale even more difficult to swallow. Giants, places of fire and demons, some type of science experiment, that maybe he was the result of?

The condition they found him in did support his claim a little bit. No clothes, wandering the wilderness injured.

Killing two Beowolves with practically your bare hands was a dangerous feat even for a seasoned hunter. Even successfully doing so was bound to leave someone with a few injuries. And any hunter without a weapon would use their aura or semblance as back up.

Neither of which she had sensed from the boy, and he did have a spectacular assortment of claw marks on him, plus that bite which would have been a death sentence under most normal circumstances if left alone for days. Blood loss, infection, loosing use of the arm, he was lucky it hadn't punctured any arteries. If nothing else the boy was tough.

_Red, and purple fire, falling from the sky._

That was no borealis.

That comet had been him crashing from the sky, thrown from God knows where, God knows why

Oh and this was going to be such a normal trip.

Regardless of his origins she wasn't going to let someone so unique slip through her fingers.

"Do you know what you want to do next?"

"Want?"

"Yes, what are you going to do with yourself?"

"…..No I… No, don't know."

"Would you like to stay with me?"

He tilted his head to the side pondering what she meant.

"Those creatures that attacked you live in almost every corner of our world. We call them the Grimm. Mankind has been fighting against them for our right to exist ever since humanity was born on Remnant. Civilization has been pushed to the brink of oblivion many times because of them."

"Through outright assaults, and the fear they've sown in our hearts almost turning us into the same monsters outside our gates."

"At the moment there is peace in the kingdoms. People are calling it a golden age. But all lights eventually fade away, I see it everywhere I look. There are a few of us who hope to… address this problem. Save peace, knowledge, and all that is good in the world from being scattered in the hate fueled winds of war."

"Our methods however are not really understood. Those in power do not believe the results of our actions justify the means."

"They are content to sit and do nothing as shadows loom on the horizon."

"Do you understand me?"

"…..Yes."

"If what you say is true, someone made you for a purpose."

"I can't say what that purpose is but I can say that you are no ordinary person. Not one to waste their life sitting ignoring injustice and pain. With some training, perhaps you can help me save everyone on Remnant from this coming darkness."

"How?"

"Not yet, what do you think?"

"...I want…. to help, you teach me…..fight…ing? Stop, Grr-r-imm?"

Cinder smiled, glowing with triumphant satisfaction.

But one thing was left.

"Yes, however you need a name."

He raised his eyebrows in a questioning expression.

"A name, what to call you. I am Cinder. My two students who discovered you are Mercury, and Emerald. Mercury is…'

She was interrupted.

"The one who… showed me letters. Emerald… green….green haired girl."

His speech was getting better already.

"Yes...what about Kad?"

"Kad?"

"Its from a long dead language I know a little of. It means saber, or sword, something to defend ourselves. The weapon we first used to fight the Grimm."

She pointed to a painting on one of the walls above a fireplace. The painting showed some local folk hero from Atlas, she had no idea who it was but he held a flaming sword defiant and proud over his head as he stood amidst a horde of stylized Grimm surrounding his feet.

"I like it." Kad said smiling.

Cinder wasn't done however.

"You also need a last name, just… for more official purposes. Would you like me to pick one for you?"

"Please?"

Oh this was going to be tricky. She couldn't just saddle him with a generic name. So sifting through her head eventually she found one that she latched onto and felt was appropriate.

"Amaranth, that was the last name of one of my cousins. The last in his particular branch of my family. He was a good man, because of him I chose to be a huntress. He could inspire the best in people, but he gave his life very early. I would like some of his legacy to live on, some of his legacy other than me."

Kad nodded, a little solemnly, like he knew the weight of his new name.

She stood up and held out her hand to Kad Amaranth, her newest protégée,

"We have great plans for you."

* * *

**A/N Yes I am referencing what you think I am if you get the first name, no I won't be taking that any further rest assured. uggghhhh naming is hard with that rule I don't think RT follows half the time anyway, thank god for random color names on the internet. Time skip ahead be warned. Thank you all dearly for taking the time to check this out, later.**


	7. Vale

This city was so different from the slums of Atlas.

People walked with their heads held high. No soldiers roamed the streets, which were clean and well-marked. The air felt fresh and alive even for a city. It seemed so peaceful, he could relax here.

But if Kad had learned one thing since he landed on this world two years ago was that distraction meant death, either for yourself or your enemy.

Not that anyone would challenge him in Vale, he was quite an imposing figure. He had grown almost a foot and a half since he arrived, and now rarely saw anyone who was even eye level with him. His dark hair had grown out but he had sculpted it into a crew cut. He wore a bulky orange leather jacket, black cargo pants, and black combat boots, all armored with hidden plates which somewhat concealed the strength of his body but anyone who knew what they were looking for could plainly see how he made his living. His body looked like the perfect example of a warrior.

That as well as the easy manner that he carried the obvious weapons on his person with. Such a civilized town, you could walk around armed and nobody assumed you were out to go murder someone or rob a bank.

He had a length of sharpened black steel chain wrapped few times around his waist, a breakdown javelin on his back. That he could assemble in the blink of an eye, if he needed to reach out and touch someone. As well as a massive bowie knife in a scabbard high on his right leg, so big it was practically a short sword. Cinder had given him the knife before he left. She said it belonged to his namesake, and had been one of his most prized possessions, and now it was one of Kad's most prized possessions, possessions that fit entirely into the two duffel bags that he was carrying over his right shoulder and in his left hand.

His orange eyes were always wandering searching his environment and evaluating everything around him. Occasionally he locked eyes with a few people, if they looked friendly he tried to reciprocate, if they gave him a look he didn't like they quickly received one far worse.

Right now his eyes were searching for a store, the book store owned by one of the White Fang's best forgers and counterfeiters. He was supposed to have hard copies of his "transcripts" ready for him. Maybe he was cutting it close, he had to be at Beacon tomorrow, but he was making good time and didn't have any other pressing business.

It felt good to take a little break from all of the training he had been doing. Physical exercise every day, lessons in history, math, language, Grimm studies, psychology. He absorbed it all like a sponge, he had nearly perfect recall and he could tell anyone anything he had learned since he began his training.

The weakest points in the armor on any type of Grimm,

all of the names from any ancient royal dynasty on Remnant,

passwords to the bank accounts of the five crooked Shaw-cross arms dealers he had beaten to death in Haven.

Cinder's training had been really hands on.

Hunting Grimm outside of the city walls, he had slain nearly every known type of Grimm at least once. He wasn't ashamed to admit that Mercury and Emerald had helped him tackle some of the larger beasts. Fading scars were testaments to the lessons of teamwork he had learned among the monsters.

Monsters in the wilds and monsters in the cities.

He had spent many weeks amidst the most destitute and violent slums in all of the kingdoms uncovering the ins and outs of the little worlds in the shadows of the opulent. He couldn't help but sympathize with the tortured souls he found in the dregs of the world. Both Human and Faunus trying to make ends meet, working to make sure their kids had enough to eat or trying to keep safe from the Grimm and even more despicable criminals who thought the only way to live was to feed off of the hard work of honest people.

It wasn't all darkness and despair, many people tried to help each other out where they could, flimsy bridges between species and class were starting to gain strength. However cooperation still suffered in the face of competition. This world was very unforgiving and few of the powerful felt like sacrificing for the little people.

He hoped he had left some good in his wake as he walked in the shadows, toppling petty criminal rackets, removing some of the more despicable people from the world.

Problems with the Grimm however he felt were in capable hands. Huntsmen and Huntresses were very busy nowadays, but he had to avoid them whenever he could. Many of them were on the lookout for clues to some type of conspiracy brewing, and Kad didn't really feel like setting them on the trail of his friends, or facing some more of their very polite but slightly threatening interviews himself.

He stopped his musing, he had found his destination. Tukson's book trade, it seemed kind of excessive how much it was pasted in gold lettering all over the storefront.

Never mind.

The door hit a bell while swinging inward, though that warning probably wasn't necessary. An attendant was behind the counter handing a bag to a short Faunus girl with long brown hair and tall rabbit ears. As she turned around she gasped in shock at the sudden wall of orange that hadn't been there before.

Kad smiled and stepped out of her way, even held the door open for her. She quickly hurried out of the door and disappeared into the crowds outside without a word, eyes downcast.

The attendant was a middle aged looking man in casual clothes. He had clean cut hair on the top of his head and thick sideburns running down his cheeks. Although it was nearing the end of the day he didn't appear tired. Maybe it was a slow day or he just enjoyed his work. Either way he warmly greeted his new customer.

"Hi there, Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade home of every book under the sun, can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Tukson. Special order."

Kad held out the letter he had been instructed to bring here. The man behind the counter took it and reached for a letter opener.

"Well you found me, let me guess usual Beacon order of….."

He stopped as he saw the easily recognizable red logo of the White Fang at the top of the letter. Kad grinned,

"Sort of."

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Tuckson said,

"Wait here."

He disappeared into the back room and returned holding a brown envelope and carrying a bag of books with him.

"Got it all right here, citizenship documents, combat school transcripts, family financial statements, more junk you need. Don't worry no one will be able spot they're fakes, plus a bonus, standard freshman textbook selection for Beacon. And contact information, if you run into something you can't handle call my number. I'll help however I can, don't worry I'm usually available."

"Don't give me any crap about trustworthiness either. I am supposed to be your friend here. O.K?"

Kad took the envelope put it in his coat and shouldered the bag. He sighed a little bit, no rest for the wicked, back to the streets, find a place near the airport and wait for the ships tomorrow, it was going to be a long night.

"Thanks, good to know at least someone here."

Tukson walked around from behind his counter and held out his hand.

"It's alright I get sent a lot of people not used to actual common courtesy, moving around in the dark a lot. People gotta look out for each other man, even here. You need anything else?"

Kad shook Tukson's hand and looked around the store,

"You got any copies of Just A Shadow?"

"Hard cover or paper back?"


	8. Beacon

Well that had certainly been close. The news would have had a way more interesting story to tell if he had been caught in that robbery.

Kad didn't need to sleep as much as other people so after locating the airship docks and hiding his bags behind a bunch of cinder blocks in a nearby alley, he set out to explore the nightlife of Vale.

He didn't have the time, money or any real inclination to go into any of the various night clubs, interesting though they were. Loud thumping music and bright over the top light shows. He did mark some of the fewer quieter ones in his head for later reference, if he got some free time at Beacon.

So he continued on through the sleeping city not really with a destination just mindful of how long it would take him to get back to the docks. It didn't take long for him to almost completely map about half of the city south of the river in his head. Stores, restaurants, apartments, factories, municipal buildings, he didn't hang around long near any of them. He only walked into a Dust shop once to browse for a few minutes and then left, back into the night.

Dust was tricky for him, despite how smart he was he could rarely manage to manipulate his aura in the proper way to shield himself, let alone control the nearly magical element. As an added bonus he hadn't figured out what his semblance was either from his lack of aura use. It frustrated him to no ends. He tried everything Cinder had shown him, meditation, spirit walks.

He had only succeeded in combat a few times.

Manifesting his aura had saved his life when he had stumbled across a Deathstalker in the deserts of Vacuo, caught off guard it had managed to seize him in one of its claws during their fight. His aura held the claws open long enough for him to escape. Then he lured the giant scorpion into a narrow canyon where it got stuck and he was able to push a few heavy rocks onto it to kill it.

Cinder had offered to unlock his aura for him but he felt that was cheating. Not only cheating dangerous. Being suddenly gifted with a strange ability he had no idea how to control. He would prefer learning how to control his aura on his own.

Three hours till sunrise at eight, the airport opened at ten today, and the ships were leaving at noon. So he had at least five more hours to kill since he planned on being one of the first on the ships.

Police drove by occasionally, slowing down to give him a cursory once over, doing their job obviously not looking for anyone in particular or just not him.

Kad hadn't heard any sirens all night. And even walking through parts of town that usually would have some criminal activity anywhere else in the world he hadn't seen anything suspicious.

He kept walking into the night and early morning until he judged it was time to start doubling back to the airport.

* * *

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts please contact the Vale police department, back to you Lisa."

Kad wasn't really paying full attention to the news report. Just enough to wonder what he would have done if he had been caught in a store hold up.

He was looking out over the city from one of the windows on the airship. His mind on half a dozen different things, was his stuff okay in the cargo hold, how long until they land, what Cinder had told him before he left.

"Your part may take some time. Beacon is usually a four year course."

"Why am I going alone?"

"You don't need our help, and the rest of us are going to be busy for the moment with phase one."

Cinder laid her hand on his shoulder reassuringly,

"It will be fine, you'll be the finest student Beacon has ever had. There'll be no doubt who's the best candidate for Vale's next Marshal Huntsman."

"Yeah, its just I finally start feeling like a part of something and off I go to some place I haven't been to."

"You can do more good after Beacon than you ever could just being a vigilante in the shadows. Trust yourself and don't worry we'll be joining you for the Vytal festival next year. But before you go I have a gift for you." She held out the knife she had been holding at her side.

Despite the reassurance Kad was starting to question a few things. Not his own abilities, or purpose, just why Cinder stressed the fact that he had to stay unassociated with them while he was at Beacon.

_"__Our methods however are not really understood." _

He had no good theories but something big was coming, he could feel it. But still he could see no concrete outcomes ahead, just a lot of shadows down this road he walked.

The video display on the wall emitted a tone and turned the news broadcast turned off. A holographic projection of a woman now stood there. Her hair color was very light-blonde pulled back in a bun she had thin rectangular glasses, a white long-sleeved suit with puffy sleeves up to her wrists a black business skirt, black boots with brown heels, and a tattered purple cape.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon, my name is Glynda Goodwitch."

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy."

_Or lucky enough to scam your way in._

"Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace,"

_At least in the kingdoms, where there are no wars of men. Peace not prosperity._

"And as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task. And now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

Hah, how many of these others had actually stared death and evil in the eye unblinking. Ever fought a Grimm outside of a school, been in a fight, no rules, no safety, no mercy.

Every killed someone.

Did they really know what they were getting into? Hunting was a dangerous business, not a dream fantasy job were everyone was a hero, it was walking in the darkest places of the world and remaining cold as steel as you overcame what you found there. Wasn't his place to ask, if they were useless that would just make him look all the better.

Towering over his new peers he was the first off the ship once they finally touched down. No one was there to guide them but signs in the distance seemed to indicate where they were supposed to be going. Inside the marked building there was a large open space with a raised platform stage in the middle of it. Goodwitch was there watching the new students file in.

"Welcome again all of you, Professor Ozpin will be down shortly to address you. Please see one of the upper classmen around the room, they will provided you with a hand book and answer any quick questions you might have."

Kad didn't have any pressing questions, but he took a hand book and started flipping through it while waiting for the headmaster. Shortly turned into about twenty minutes later as the last of the incoming class trickled in from outside where they had been trying to explore the campus before orientation had officially begun.

A grey haired man with a cane dressed in a black suit and green scarf stepped out onto the stage and approached the microphone. Professor Ozpin, Kad presumed.

"I'll keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

"But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far."

"It is up to you to take the first step."

What the fuck was he talking about?

* * *

Kad dreamt again, of his time lost amongst the monsters that haunted his dreams, the ones who took him from where ever he was born so long ago. Sometimes that place seemed like just a fantasy he only half remembered. Other times it felt as if he was back there again and all that he had seen and done since coming to Remnant had been a dream.

It was good that he rarely needed to sleep. Sometimes he could last for a week or more if he was lucky. Tonight wasn't one of those nights. In the ball room he tried to just lightly doze in a corner. Jacket tucked behind his head leaning against a pillar listening to the people around him, weapons within arm's reach to his right.

Before he knew it he had fallen deep into slumber, and the nightmares began again.

But this time it was different.

It didn't feel as sinister as the last times over the years. Something was at the back of his mind, like he was trying to remember something. Why? He didn't need to, did he?

In his dream he walked down a dark metal corridor. Figures followed close behind but he did not turn around. His guards went with him everywhere he hardly noticed their presence.

What?!

Doors opened in front of him and he stepped onto what looked like a control station for an airship. He had been on board the bridges of airships before you could fit an airship in this place here and have room to spare.

Dozens of figures sat and stood near consoles that managed all of the functions of the ship. More individuals and their guards stood before the massive window in at the end of the room. Wow that window...

The view was incredible, and Kad had no idea what he was looking at.

Stars spread out all across the black sky, was this place on a mountain? To high up to see the ground.

No.

Hundreds of shapes dotted the view in front of the window. Ships' carrying his warriors ready to begin the great reunification of humanity's lost empire. On the front of this vessel a great two headed golden eagle shone bright in the void, as they orbited over the cradle of humanity. The symbol of what comprised the strength necessary to bring his dream to fruition.

What dream, he was in a dream.

"The wheels of fate are turning my friends. And our destiny within grasp. Many worlds lie beyond our ancient home, so many places lost and confused. Desperate for the truths we have to share. The galaxy is ours for the taking. Let…."

"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON OVER HERE? Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep!

Startled awake, Kad reached for his javelin. If some idiots decided to start a fight he was going to have a word with them. Three girls started bickering on in the middle of the ball room, although much quieter then when whichever one of them had shouted to the whole room.

No real problem.

Dammit, what a dream, memory, whatever. Kad knew for certain he had never experienced anything like what he just had.

_Challenges met, start of something big._

Thinking about the dream, Kad decided to kind of accept what he had seen, from a certain point of view. Great things were about to happen. The righteous were coming to aid the weak.

Almost like the same thing Kad had come to Beacon to do.

Kad relaxed and slept completely uninterrupted for the first time ever that night, till the dawn light started coming in through the windows.


	9. Initiation -part one

Landing strategy,

Awesome, Grandpa Port hadn't mentioned anything like this.

Thrown into the Emerald forest from a cliff, good luck buttercup don't crash and die.

_Don't panic, _Right

Taking her dust dagger she focused her semblance and conjured a glyph to catch herself before she splattered into a million pieces in the trees.

It sure as hell didn't feel like she had just gone from stupid fast falling to zero in about two seconds. More like she just jumped down one or two feet to a soft landing. Crouched on the vertical glyph she flipped herself down onto one of the thicker branches at the top.

"WOOH HOO!"

All Alicia saw was a flash of yellow followed by several explosive blasts bouncing over the tree tops. In a direction that was definitely not the way to the temple.

Seriously had anyone bothered to look on the way down?

Okay fine she panicked a bit, but now she could plainly see a distant opening in the forest and vague grey objects from the top of this tree. Almost straight north east if she didn't get side tracked.

Speaking of keeping on track Alicia started to hop from branch to branch down from the canopy.

* * *

Spring off the branches, slowdown from terminal velocity to manageable, tuck and roll on the ground, jump up good to go.

Except for the boarbatusk whose foraging path Jaxon had landed in.

The pig snorted in shock at the lion Faunus that had dropped from the sky and then squealed in rage. Its killer instincts kicking in, charging forward the Grimm tucked into its signature rolling attack attempting to smash Jaxon over and maul him to death with its tusks.

Oh please, these things never learn.

Two options up close or long range, good thing he could do both admirably

Taking his thick spear with a long blade tapered to a point off of his back, Jaxon grabbed the folded pistol grip, flicked it down and pulled back. The blade shifted down uncovering the rifle barrel and taking the position of a bayonet. Other parts moved for minor technical reasons but the last shift put the stock into position.

Now we're in business he thought to himself. Taking aim he crouched and started to slow his breathing, calming down, waiting for the Grimm's rotation to give him a shot at its eyes.

Nearly there….

And a spinning blur of steel smashed into the boar's left side. Its roll losing all control and sprawling to a stop the Grimm landed in a limp heap right at his feet. An ax sunk into the side of its head.

"Hold your applause everyone, shows not over yet."

_Oh, this guy sounds like an asshole_

Well Jaxon was going to get stuck with someone sooner or later. Eh If they could throw like that they might not be so bad.

His mystery "savior" stepped out of the shadows grinning like an idiot. Jaxon was kind of surprised. It was another Faunus only his heritage was upward curving pointy horns on the sides of his head, out and down till the narrow points were about level with the corners of his mouth a few inches away from his head.

His dark grey eyes were bright with excitement. Jaxon never did like people who acted like everyone was their friend it made him feel like they were trying to hide something.

His brown hair was buzzed down to about a quarter inch all over his head. His new partner wore a grey tank top under a blue sleeveless vest made of some thick material. Brown pants and grey hiking boots completed his outfit

"So for your encore you will?"

'Pass this BS of course with my new buddy…. Eh… what's yer name?"

"Jaxon Peridot."

"Good to meet you I'm Co'Balt."

"Is that your last name?"

"No it's my one and only name. Blame my parents, fricking traditionalists."

* * *

Co'Balt planted his foot on the shoulder of the boarbatusk and levered his axe out of its head, it wasn't just an axe however. It was single axe blade in the shape of a thick L mounted under the stock of an autoloading shotgun. He had tried to modernize something similar to those old blunderaxes he had seen before.

Co'Balt sized up his new partner

He was only about an inch, or maybe two taller than himself. Although his round Faunus ears made it seem like he was taller.

Jaxon wore a sort of dull yellow long sleeve sport jacket, popped collar, opened at the front and a black V neck underneath, along with some beat up blue jeans and brown combat boots. If he was a lion Faunus Co'Balt could only describe his hair as accurate, or maybe racist, a mane of dirty dark yellow hair running down to his shoulders. Almost cat like brown eyes staring unblinking at Co'Balt.

Maybe he should have let him take the boar, see if he could use that rifle. But it was always nice to make a good first impression, saving someone from a Grimm ranked pretty high in Co'Balt's book.

"You wouldn't happen to have any idea where you're going would you?"

* * *

It seemed Alicia's luck just wasn't good at all today. Twenty feet up in the air and she noticed that those rocks were not really rocks but the backs of three sleeping Ursai. Who would have remained oblivious to her presence if she hadn't accidentally knocked a dead branch right down on top of the biggest one's head.

Now all three of them were up and circling the tree, clawing their way up a few feet and sliding back down, growling and moaning at their prize just out of reach.

She had a few options, all of them bad, that she could see, jump down and somehow fight them all at once. Make a few impossible leaps through the tree tops and attempt to lose them, unlikely. Or see if they lose interest.

Which probably would take the rest of the day leaving her stuck up this dam tree when night fell while the rest of her class passed, got teams, good grades. Probably no one would even really notice she never made it back from the forest. Grandpa Port would come looking for her, although that little family life line would only get her so far if she didn't pass this test.

_"__Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die."_

Steeling herself she set her knife's revolving dust selector to burn and tried to psych herself up to jump.

Someone decided to make her choice a little less dangerous for her. Whistling air and a wet smack heralded the arrival of one of her fellow would be hunters.

One of the Ursa trying to climb the tree suddenly roared in pain and fell back onto its side howling and writhing on the ground.

A javelin had punched straight through the middle of its back, severing the spine, and maybe puncturing a few vital organs.

The other two turned around and stood up on their hind feet to face this new threat, forgetting about the girl in the tree. Her savior charged through the trees swinging a length of chain in his left hand and holding a massive fighting knife in his right.

He swung the chain at the Ursa closer to him on the left, smashing it into its face stunning the beast. Which reared back roaring in pain and surprise paws swiping at its face.

Kad jumped forward closing the distance between himself and the bear.

Time seemed to slow

Hack left, cut through its stomach. gutted in one stroke. Back hand right, slash through its throat to the bone. He kicked with his left leg and sent the dying Grimm sprawling to the ground.

He spun clockwise and whipped his chain low at the second Ursa. The black steel cracked into its upper right leg and shattered it. Kad had let out a little more slack this time so the chain spun around its injured leg a few times. Kad pulled back and bent the bone at a painfully unnatural angle where no joint should be. The Ursa screamed and tried to lurch forward, arms reaching out for Kad.

No need to get close, with a flick of his wrist he flung his knife and buried it six inches in the Ursa's forehead from where he stood.

Alicia jumped down from the tree, hazel eyes wide at the carnage this guy had caused so quickly. Three Ursa down in ten seconds flat.

And wow he was tall. She had never seen such a giant before.

His javelin made a gross sucking sound as he pulled it out of the back of the first Ursa. Kad flicked it once to get the worst of the gore off and then twisted the middle to open the lock to fold it in half.

How this girl had ended up in the tree Kad didn't know, but he appraised his new partner quickly.

She was tall for a girl almost five ten if he had to guess. She had red brown hair pulled back and braided in a ponytail at the base of her skull. Not on the top of her head like he had seen a lot in Vale. She had a black leather jacket with dark maroon stitching, zipped up about halfway over a grey blouse. Neither of which completely reached her waist, she had about an inch of skin exposed at her middle. Finally black pants similar to what Kad was wearing, and red laced combat boots completed her outfit.

"Hi, my name's Alicia. Thanks, I thought I was gonna be up there all day."

"Well I was passing through and it seemed almost criminal to leave you stuck there."

She smiled shyly and sheathed her knife. It had a revolving chamber able to select several types of Dust, and apply them with a thick curving blade about a foot long.

She had to be fast if she fought Grimm with just that knife. Without any real reach, you just had get in close do damage and get away fast. Or maybe she had other ways of keeping things at arm's reach.

Alicia decided to take the first step and break the silence

"It looked like a straight shot northeast to the temple from up there."

"How far."

"Um… I don't know. Not that far."

"Well then let's get moving."

* * *

**A/N well this was going to be longer but i decided to make team introduction as smooth as possible. Did you really expect me to crowbar Kad onto an existing team or something? Reviews appreciated as always, thank you for taking a look.**


	10. Initiation -part two

_The ramp of the lander eased down. The harsh light and choking air of this hive world hitting him almost immediately. _

_The barbarians stood in awe at the figure come in golden splendor to their world. The crowd thousands strong with millions more watching from afar, waiting breathlessly for what was to come, as their greatest leaders stepped forward with the giant from the stars that had appeared on their world decades ago to meet this man from the ship._

_He smiled as the first of his rediscovered sons stepped forward to meet his sire, standing tall and proud, ready and willing to begin the task he had been made for_

Kad could multi task like no one else. He could hold a half dozen separate thoughts and ideas in his head a one time.

But if these dream memories were going to start happening at random moments when he might be doing something important, like following his team mate through the woods to claim a relic, he was going to have a hard time focusing on the task at hand.

Alicia and Kad jogged along a narrow trail through the shadowed trees. Occasionally stopping whenever there were sounds of gunfire or explosions in the distance, things were getting interesting for their comrades certainly.

No more Grimm blocked their path towards the temple, probably all out looking for the freshmen dropped into their laps.

Only to meet a fate similar to this Boarbatusk with its skull nearly split in two from the side.

This part of the forest was on relatively high ground and they could almost see the clearing where they assumed the temple was. About another two miles or so away, twenty or thirty minutes' walk if they weren't attacked.

The sudden cacophony of Beowolf howls in the distance seemed to indicate that was unlikely

"Are they close?" Alicia asked.

"No, but that could change, let's hurry."

Voices to their right made them pause however. Two Faunus walked into the clearing from the east.

"I don't care if you think it's that way. Caves are never good."

"Come on Jax. Are you afraid of the dark or something?"

"Shit lives in the dark Co'Balt, and don't call me Jax."

"Fine then mister proper now, we're back to square one."

Finally noticing the two newcomers in the glade Jaxon and Co'Balt halted assessing these two.

Only one obvious problem they could see.

They were human, like almost any Faunus both of them had incidents in the past with some particularly unpleasant people. Incidents which hadn't exactly made either of them completely unconditionally accepting individuals

But given the small number of Faunus at Beacon in their class they were lucky they had found a Faunus teammate. It was a small price to pay to be at Beacon to have to deal with these two. One was a girl in a leather jacket studying the two of them in the shadow of the big guy in orange and black. While the girl seemed to be almost hiding behind the giant he stood tall and tried to seem friendly.

Kad had learned during his time in the slums that the Faunus were no different from Humans, many people saw them as violent and vengeful, but put enough pressure on anyone and they would eventually snap. Kad found there was nothing in their nature that made them more violent than humans. And discrimination flowed both ways between species.

Kad just wondered if the two could fight. But introductions first, he raised his right hand and called out to them.

"Morning, you two lost?"

Jaxon decided to take a chance and stepped forward.

"No we know where we should be going…."

Co'Balt chimed in

"Yeah south."

"I told you we not going near those dam caves!"

Alicia stepped from behind Kad intending to put a stop to this before any argument drew attention to their little group.

"For god's sake you can see the temple from here." Arm stuck out to her left pointing through the trees.

Jaxon and Co'Balt glanced where she was pointing,

Co'Balt was dubious,

"Out in the open like that? I thought we were going to have to look for this place."

"I say an hour wandering around counts as looking, unless you really want to go through those caves."

"Could be something in there."

Kad laughed, "Yeah probably a Deathstalker, or worse. No offense. Have you got any other ideas?"

Right now Co'Balt was thinking anywhere but with these two. Jaxon liked that they shared his opinion on the caves, they might be good teammates.

He would decide what he thought of them really after initiation.

"North sounds good."

"Northeast." Alicia corrected

"Meh, what's your name?"

"Alicia Redstone."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Jaxon Peridot, and this is Co'Balt."

Both of them looked at Kad waiting,

"My name's Kad Amaranth, you guys don't really have a problem with Humans do you?"

The two Faunus were a little taken aback, no one really ever just brought that issue out into the open like that. If he was going to be blunt they could appreciate that. Jaxon just shrugged then waved his right arm north.

"Not with you two at the moment. Shall we?"

* * *

To make up for lost time they all took off swiftly through the trees, Kad plowed through the underbrush, crushing shrubs and knocking over small saplings in his path, the others wove nimbly through the obstacles. Or fell in behind him when there was no other way through the forest . Despite the blockage it was clear Kad could have left them behind any time he chose, but he was hanging back for their sake, if anything was guarding the temple he would take all the help he could get when he got there.

Which only took about fifteen minutes, luckily they were all sure footed and no one had tripped and injured themselves. Kad held his hand up and clenched his fist, signaling for his companions to stop at the edge of the trees. He wanted to get a good look before he broke cover

It certainly looked like a temple plus a circle of stacked blocks of stone and carved pillars covered with ivy around a ring of pedestals upon which the artifacts were placed. Chess pieces to be precise.

Which Co'Balt was already inspecting up close, deciding which one to take.

_What the!?_

The other three still in the trees hadn't seen him run out there, as far as they knew he was still behind them. Which to their surprise he obviously wasn't.

"How'd he get over there so fast?" Alicia asked,

"Probably his semblance, speed or something." Jaxon offered, "Well big guy nothing's eaten him think it's clear?"

Kad merely grunted in agreement, took his javelin off his back and lead the other two out to the relics.

It looked like a full set of all of the important chess pieces white team and black team, no pawns but two kings and two queens

_"__Well this seems obvious" _Co'Balt thought to himself, grabbing the white Kings waving them over his head.

"Hail to the Kings bitches. Told you the temple was this way."

"Really…." An exasperated Jaxon muttered.

Co'Balt just grinned, tossing the king in his right hand high at Kad, and shoving the other one into his inner vest pocket. Kad caught the king easily one handed and studied it for a moment. Nothing out of the ordinary, not really white but gold. Kind of big, but small enough to fit in his jacket pocket. None of the other pieces seemed disturbed. They were the first ones here. Good.

Wait, did the relics just move?

It was subtle Kad almost didn't notice it. Just a slight tremble,

Not good,

_Danger, _Kad could sense it, he felt it in his chest. Did the others?

The roof of the temple burst upward, its sides brushed aside as the Giant Nevermore sleeping within awoke to the presence of these intruders. No way anyone could miss that.

The claws on its wings gripped the still standing front of the temple as it looked at the four students amid the artifacts.

Its eyes flicked rapidly back and forth between these interlopers, the two Faunus stumbling back reaching for their guns, the girl moving her arm in a wide vertical rotation, dagger in hand preparing to cast Dust at the bird.

Time slowed,

Kad had the fastest reactions of anyone he had every met, those few seconds spent bringing his javelin back over his shoulder gave him enough time to observe this beast in great detail.

It certainly was big, what it was doing in the temple he had no idea, how the teachers placed the pieces here with that thing sleeping only slightly more of an idea, not important.

Targets, eyes, mouth, joints, don't aim for the body, spear probably won't penetrate far enough to do damage.

If he could cripple a wing it would be easy to dispatch it.

He had no idea what his teammates were doing behind him, metallic sounds to his left and right seemed to indicate Jaxon and Cobalt preparing to fire, he could sense the buildup of power where Alicia stood, she was preparing to attack, it would be good to have someone proficient with Dust on their team.

Eyes, big, wide eyed searching,

Vulnerable

Kad brought his arm back preparing his strength to throw,

The Grimm's hatefull orange eyes locked with Kad's own pale orange irises, The predatory gaze went dull for a moment, but focused again in an instant.

This was different.

Kad knew, it was looking at him,

Like no Grimm ever had before. This was a different type of surprise and a detailed examination he didn't think the Grimm had the intelligence to do.

This all happened in a fraction of a second. Its eyes shifted back and time speed up as he threw his javelin at the Nevermore with all his strength.

Alicia shouted flicking her arm and dagger forward. Red bolts of light trailing a brilliant tail of color started off on an erratic path from glyphs on the circle of Dust she made, but flew true and struck the Grimm in a shower of sparks.

Rifle bullets and buckshot bounced harmlessly off the feathers but knocked the bird around a bit more. Unfortunately this all added up enough that Kad's javelin crunched into its body instead of into its left eye which he had been aiming for.

Flapping its wings and screeching pain to the whole forest, immense black wings propelled the Nevermore into the air and out over the forest.

Taking Kad's weapon with it.

A minor inconvenience.

"I knew this place would be guarded." Co'Balt exclaimed, voice just a little shaken with surprise and fear.

Kad turned around, "It'll be back let's move.

"Where?" asked Jaxon

Kad smirked.

"Now we go south."

* * *

**_Beyond the veil of reality..._**

**The anathema's pet,**

_Truly, plans in jeopardy,_

**Not yet, opportunities,**

_Hssshhss, tests, must prove his worth, how to snare him_

**Gently, we must court his heart,**

_Break his will, trap his soul, puppet dancing to our tune,_

**He will aid us willingly,**

_Sssssssss, time will tell, plans within plans, wait and see..._


	11. Initiation -part three

"No!"

"Why not?"

"Are you insane?!"

"We'll find the temple in no time."

"It'll kill us, we'll fall off! Why in the world would you think this is a good idea?!"

"It can fly."

"_It can._ People fly on airships, people, do not fly on Nevermores! This is a terrible idea!"

Weiss was having a hard time keeping her voice down. The minute that bird saw them they would be in serious trouble.

And Ruby wanted to go and ride the dam thing!

"What's the worst that can happen?"

"Mmmmmmrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…" _How could she be serious?_

It was busy at the moment, when it had crashed through the trees it flapped around a bit and almost spotted them. Ruby and Weiss had conveniently just passed behind a large boulder which had concealed them but now they were trapped.

The Nevermore was tugging at a spear stuck in its chest, trying to pull it out. When it was done it would leave,

Which was perfectly fine with Weiss, Ruby had a different opinion.

"Come on don't be a baby."

Ruby kept low and hurried over to one of its feet, crouched down right next to those lethal talons and tried to wave her partner over.

No way was Weiss going to be left alone in the forest again, even if this was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard of.

Finally the Nevermore plucked the spear out of its chest spat it aside and stretched its wings, howling out to the forest in with the slightly trilling but still menacing call. It flapped once moving a few feet into the air.

Now or never,

Weiss ran forward and just managed to grab onto its foot as the bird flapped again, soaring into the sky with its two new passengers. Heading back to the temple to pick up the trail of the ones that had roused it from slumber.

* * *

Another clearing, maybe a two hundred foot circle, flat open ground,

Which they had been caught out it the middle of,

Not good,

The Beowolves had come out of nowhere, the first ones panicky and lost, halting on the edge of the trees at the other end. Sniffing the air and eye balling the four of them,

Jaxon, Alicia, and Co'Balt were starting to edge back the way they came from.

Kad knew better, the moment they ran the pack would charge.

_Show no fear,_

He doubted the Beowolves would see any in his eyes, expressionless Kad started to plan

More of the pack was gathering, larger wolves moving to surround them, numbers giving them courage to start to close the semi-circle. And then the Alpha broke through the trees and its pack, threw back its bone white head and let loose a chilling howl.

If Kad had his javelin he would have killed it there, none of his companions made a move other than to take a few more cautious steps backward.

There was no way they were getting out of this forest other than through this pack. They couldn't waste energy on a fighting retreat, plus they had evaded the Nevermore for the moment. Kad wasn't too keen to go face that Grimm again.

"Don't run, _We_ can do this."

It was hard to inspire people when your back was turned on them and you were staring down a horde of nightmare creatures just to buy a few more milliseconds to get a plan together to live through the next ten minutes.

"Alicia, can you get them out of the trees?"

"What?"

"Fire, anything, confusion is our ally, burn some trees, get them moving,"

Eyebrows scrunched in concentration Alicia looked at the levels of the different Dust she had in the revolving chambers on her knife, Detergeo. More than enough.

"Jaxon, keep at range, cover her, _Jaxon!"_

Jaxon didn't appear to be listening, eyes flicked among the Grimm flanking them. He looked ready to bolt.

He had fought Grimm before, but never this many at once, the old tales were coming back to him in all their gristly details. He felt he was a good fighter, but was this little group good enough to take this entire pack?

Who cared if they ran, Jaxon cared greatly if he lived to see tomorrow.

Co'Balt laid his hand on Jaxon's shoulder. Assuring him he was not alone, his new friends stood with him.

"Co'Balt stick close to me, keep back some, don't let them surround me."

"The bloody hell are you going to do?"

In the absence of heavy firepower, Dust, or numbers, surprise was the greatest force multiplier a warrior had.

Kad just hoped his sudden berserker charge at the Alpha reminded his team what they were supposed to be doing.

Roaring defiance, he spun his chain around his left arm a few times, giving himself a little extra armor, and gripped a few loops of the black steel. It shortened his reach but he could hit harder this way.

Hard enough to fracture the skull of the smaller wolf balking at the giant rushing towards it, as Kad began to fight his way toward the Alpha.

He kept this left arm rotating in circles. Anything that got in his way was smashed aside by the heavy metal. A line of dying Beowolves began to form on the ground behind Kad, waiting for the internal damage done by the chain to kill them

Wolves that got tried to judge the moment to leap when his arm was aside coming in for another blow were killed by his knife darting out, taking out eyes, punching through necks, under and between ribs, hacking through limbs.

* * *

Alicia began her work, flicking her Detergeo in a circle over her head as she pirouetted. She cast bolts of burn Dust over the pack and into the trees. Explosions and fire sent the creatures howling and scampering in confusion. Flames spread to the grass in the clearing driving the pack toward Kad.

Jaxon snapped out of his fearful mind frame, he was going to be a huntsman dammit. Grimm would fear him not the other way around.

**BANG**

The lead wolf circling to their right lost its head in a splash of blood and white bone fragments. Adjusting his aim he shifted his rifle, Uzipho back to the center of the pack, calmly taking a shot every one or two seconds.

Some Grimm went down quickly, heads exploded by his uncanny aim, a lucky few dodged shots at their heads, but caught a few bullets in their center mass, and fell the ground just as dead.

Sighting on the next one in the ragged line he pulled the trigger but nothing happened,

Out of ammo.

The unbelievable amount of Beowolves howled and charged with renewed enthusiasm, perfect predators, seizing the moment taking advantage of his weakness.

_UGGGHH no time to reload!_

The air shimmered in front of the creatures and a glyph burst into existence directly in their path.

Wolves yelped as they slammed into it without slowing and ended up in a twisting pile of flailing stupidity.

Jaxon smiled a little to himself, it was almost comical. He began feeding more bullets into his gun, watching the Beowolves fry as Alicia summoned a bolt of lightning Dust and electrocuted the defenseless Grimm.

* * *

Co'Balt slid on his knees beneath the swipe the first wolf in his way tried to kill him with.

He dragged Keila's axe blade along its left leg as he slid by. Fur and muscle parted and it howled in pain.

Jumping to his feet he fired the shotgun practically backwards without looking but there was no way he could miss at that range

A ragged hole exploded in the injured Grimm's chest, it fell over bleeding out rather quickly.

Using the recoil, he punched the ax into the stomach next wolf coming for him. It doubled over as the air in its lungs disappeared violently.

Spinning Keila and gripping the barrel Co'Balt swung the ax down past his leg, back behind him up, and down into the skull of the Beowolf.

He jumped and rolled over the shoulders of the lobotomized beast and hacked low at the next wolf, cutting through both of its front legs while it ran on all fours.

He kicked left, the armless monster rolled to the side, Co'Balt didn't bother to finish it off, with those injuries it was as good as dead.

_Don't let them surround me_

Shells fell down at his feet as fast he could pull the trigger, he raked the pack on the left from side to side with buckshot. Grimm tumbled and fell tripping those rushing behind them trying to get at the bull horned Faunus.

Jaxon was correct, Co'Balt's semblance had manifested itself as speed, he was able to propel himself at an incredible velocity for a short period of time.

Clouds of dirt flew behind him as he used this ability to leap over the decimated left flank of the pack and land right next to Kad as he came up to the largest wolves,

And the pack leader.

Of course it had to be almost twice the size of any of its brethren, monster claws and massive spikes gave it formidable weapons to use against anything that got within arm's reach of it.

The last four Beowolves of the pack rushed forward to avenge their fallen, and protect their leader. If they wanted vengeance Kad was determined only disappointment was in their future.

Co'Balt threw Keila, which spun a few times and crunched into the upper right leg of the Wolf on the far left.

Jaxon stood still as Alicia conjured a lift glyph, grabbed his arm and launched them both next to Kad on his right.

Jaxon rolled, Shifting Uzipho into its spear form, he crouched and the Beowolf second on the left split its paws on the blade of the spear as it clawed downward. Jaxon jumped forward when it hopped back in shock, lunged and speared the wolf straight through its heart.

When the wolf on the far right tried the same tactic against Alicia it merely scraped against the glowing red barrier she had conjured. Snarling frustration it tried to bite at the magic sphere.

Jaws wide open, rushing forward, the snarls turned into frantic choking and coughing. Its weak swipes barely scratched her leather jacket as she twisted Detergeo even further down its throat until it gave one last defiant cough and slumped dead against her.

Kad faced the last wolf before the Alpha. he brought his left arm across his chest and met its charge head on.

It saw his arm not moving, impulse registering a prime target,

Fangs like ivory knives shattered as it bit onto the chain on Kad's arm, it barely had time to try and push of off him as he pulled it lower and stabbed downward with his knife held in a reverse grip and severed its spine at the bottom of its skull.

Kad took a moment to look at the Alpha, finally with an idea of what his new team was capable of he formed a plan. It required a little improvisation by the others.

He wasn't worried.

"Co'Balt Catch!"

Gently he spun out his chain swung one end left over to Co'Balt, the steel smacked into his right hand with a solid punch.

"Come on!"

Kad ran to the right, Co'Balt was nearly dragged along but he got the idea, dashing to the left.

Holding the chain low to the ground they pulled it tight in an attempt to trip the massive creature.

Jaxon saw their idea and quickly turned Uzipho back into a rifle to help his comrades. He fired twice, bullets tore through its knees and then chain cracked into its shins. Co'Balt and Kad barely slowed down as they tripped it forward onto its face.

Pushing the dead Grimm off of her, Alicia quickly turned the selector on Detergeo to ice, and froze the Alpha's arms to the ground.

The wolf still had some fight in it, straining to free its arms and trying to stand up on its injured legs.

Only to be slammed back down as Kad stomped on its back.

There was a clearly audible crack as its spine was pulverized by his right boot. Kad leaned over hooked his left hand into the corner of its snarling mouth pulled its head back and cut its throat. Sawing his knife back and forth from ear to ear until he was satisfied it was done for.

The wolf with Co'Balt's ax stuck in its leg was slowly, and awkwardly trying to crawl away from the wreckage of the battle, Jaxon sighted up and put the last three bullets he had into its back.

Co'Balt approached and flipped the wolf over, tearing Keila out of its leg. He took a rag out of his vest pocket and wiped the blade clean before clipping it back onto his belt.

The victorious students gathered around the now dead Alpha, slightly amazed, but very proud at what they had accomplished.

Smiles were shared all around

Kad was pleased,

Strong teammates,

Probably going to be first back with relics.

Today was a great day

* * *

_That night_

"Congratulations, all of you, rarely are we blessed with a class that shows so much potential. Let me be the first to welcome you into our family here at Beacon as official students."

Ozpin stood on the grand stage in the ball room, now packed with the relatives and friends of this year's class.

The applause and cheering was nearly deafening, and these youngsters had earned every ounce of it.

"Without further ado, I will now present teams." He turned to the first team in line as they walked onto center stage.

"Kad Amaranth, Jaxon Peridot, Alicia Redstone, Co'Balt. The four of you collected the White King pieces, and were the first team to return with relics this year, well done."

The applause started again but Ozpin held up his right hand gesturing for silence.

"From this day forth you will work together as team apricot,"

Their portraits and the letter selected from their names appeared on the displays above Ozpin's head and shifted into order. A, P, R, C.

"Led by Kad Amaranth."

The crowd began cheering again and Ozpin did nothing but nod in return as Kad bowed his head slightly to the headmaster.

Their new team walked off stage as Ozpin continued with names and took their place in a close semicircle among the returning students who had come to witness the ceremony. Playful punches on the arms and whistles signified what they thought of them. Race, class, and age momentarily forgotten in this moment of camaraderie.

"Wow what a stupid name."

"Really Co'Balt?"

"Come on Ali, we're named after a fruit."

Kad chuckled quietly at Co'Balt and just shook his head.

"Do you have a better name?"

"Actually…"

"Can't be worse then team coffee, I heard some team got saddled with that."

Co'Balt shut his mouth, Jaxon let out a short bark of laughter.

"No, that's a stupid name."

"Yeah... I guess, well go team APRC."

He held out his fist to his friends smiling, "Come on don't leave me hanging."

All of them tapped their fists together. It was official, they were in this together, till the end…

* * *

**AN / TA-DA Okay I had names in my head and just ran with them after a little editing. Seriously? Team coffee how embarrassing. Adjusted slighty now for cannon reasons, what we call jumping to conclusions.**

**On the subject of names, Uzipho- Zulu, fang. Detergeo - Latin, verb Dust. Keila- Finnish, tusk, since i couldn't find a translation for horn and I just ran with that. Blame Google translate if I've butchered those names, I meant no harm**

**Thank you all. Follow and review if ya like. I'll get back to staring at my computer screen until the next chapter pops up in my head.**


	12. First night and first morning

Despite what he had done during initiation that day Kad wasn't tired at all. He and his team had settled into their first floor dorm room after a few minor furniture rearrangements. Alicia had left to go meet her grandfather Professor Port. Jaxon and Co'Balt were unpacking some more, and Kad had left to go explore the campus.

And place a call he promised he would make.

Memories again, just a tickle at the back of his mind. Something was trying to come around but Kad ignored it for now. He wanted to take in the sight of the city from the airship docks, leaning against one of the lamp posts glowing in the dark.

Far below, people settled in, or got ready for the night. Safe in the shade of the great academy, the dark held at bay by the shine of their Dust lights. If he looked hard enough Kad could almost see the people walking about without a care in the world.

He had to wonder if they were lucky or fools.

_Cold wind bit at his face as he approached the halls of the Wolf King,_

Kad brought out his scroll, he didn't need a contact list he knew these numbers by heart.

And Cinder was usually available, a few moments passed. But she answered as she always did.

"Yes?"

"Make a good first impression right? That's what you said."

"Yes, congratulations. How many Beowolves were there?"

"Lost count."

Kad heard the small amused breath she took. It was rare Cinder found anything funny. She knew he remembered.

_This drunkard dared insult him with these pathetic tests, no son of his would be so vulgar and arrogant._

_"__Is this all that the great King of the Russ amounts to? A drunken glutton bellowing hollow tales of his greatness?"_

"I had help."

"Really, I remember your opinion of some of the other help you've had in the past."

"Mercury should have seen that tree coming."

"Maybe you shouldn't have knocked it down on him."

"That was the Taijitu not me."

_Finally some fire showed in the Primarch's eyes, drawing the great iron sword from the scabbard hung on the back of his throne._

Kad shook his head and brought himself back to the moment.

"I lost my javelin though."

"Mmm, evidently you didn't really need it. Good luck Kad, it might be best if you stay out of the city for a little bit."

"Why?"

"Phase one."

A short burst of static and his call ended. No point in trying again, Cinder was a very busy person. Kad didn't need to be reminded what the others were doing, he knew all of the parts of the plan and what he was supposed to be doing.

Stay here,

But this was out of the way.

Cinder told him he was going to help save the world. To Kad that implied actually doing something, it was irritating how much nothing seemed to be in store for his future. He had seen other academies in the world, and had a good idea what they involved.

Years of more training and ass kissing, even the best students still seemed to do a lot of nothing all the time, and it took so long to be assigned to anything once they were graduated.

The others were out there now working for this grand future Cinder had planned. Kad wanted to work, he had found out very quickly he was not one to sit around and wait. His blood ran hot most of the time,

This had gotten him into a fair amount of trouble in the past.

If Cinder was unable to upset the status quo now, Kad would be the one in the future to try and fix things.

_The next great Marshall Huntsman,_

All Kad could think was,

Backup,

Plan B,

Unimportant…

**_Ting!_**

The lamp post made an almost musical sound as his knife slashed through it like a green sapling. The following crash as it tipped over was considerably louder. But no one was around to hear it. Hopefully no one would know it was him.

He looked at the knife again as he walked away. Cinder had never really explained how Amaranth had died. When ever Kad asked her she got a faraway look it her eyes and went very silent. It made her upset when ever anybody tried to ask her about the past. Not even Emerald or Mercury knew much about her aside from what they had experienced together and what made her take them under her wing.

The blade was perfect, not a scratch from him slamming it through bone during initiation, or the lamp post just now. He rarely needed to sharpen it. This steel had saved his life many times.

But it was rarely the first thing he reached for in a fight. The javelin had been a recent addition to his arsenal. Kind of an experiment, but why just take out one target from afar when he usually ended up facing multiple threats from several different directions all up close and personal.

His chain worked beautifully, and he wouldn't trade this knife for the world. But he needed something else.

Before he knew it Kad was at the forge. It was in the back of the mechanical building, past all of the fancy computers and automated metal working machines which most hunters used instead of the old fashioned style of things.

He didn't heat up the furnaces, didn't pick up any of the hammers or tongs. He found a stool and brought it next to the scrap metal pile. Pulling out pieces and looking at them for a minute then putting them back. Calculating and measuring in his head.

There wasn't really a curfew at Beacon he had read. Lights out was about an hour after dark. They were supposed to stay in their dorm rooms but wouldn't really be punished for going out at night.

He had time.

Apparently so did his dreams.

Different again.

_These people might be safe here. Hopefully, _

_This world was not set so firmly in reality as the rest of the galaxy. The forces of the Warp leaked out at random locations and moments everywhere on this world._

_And his ancient enemies were always looking for a way through. _

_They weren't true psykers these people. But they had great power. Perhaps enough to survive what the dark ones could throw at them, not if but when they came and become all the stronger for it._

_All they wanted was a chance to live their lives, but the survival of the trillions of humanity was more important than any relatively small number of individuals. No matter how skilled they were with these rare abilities they had._

_His time was short, their ships had crashed down and now there was no way off this world._

_Their destiny would be purely the judgment of fate. If these dark times ever passed he would return one day and see what had become of them._

_One day…._

"Ackk…"

He had nicked his right thumb on a jagged edge of scrap and was now bleeding slightly.

_Enough, go do_ _something_ he told himself, standing and wrapping this cut in the edge of his shirt. Later he would come back and maybe put something together.

* * *

The window creaked open startlingly loud after how quiet last night had been. The drapes parting as well letting in the bright morning light.

Alicia had been exhausted and passed out immediately when her had head hit the pillow. After talking with her Grandpa for an hour or two, she barely had the strength to take a shower and get changed for bed.

Jaxon was sitting up as well. He hadn't bothered to change out of what he wore yesterday yet, and had slept on top of his sheets.

Co'Balt was still passed out. He had almost ripped his new shirt with his horns trying out their uniforms last night. He had given up and merely sat shirtless on his bed sharpening Keila and cleaning its shotgun. Alicia had gone to sleep before him.

Kad stepped through and sat on the window sill. He had changed into their school uniform sometime in the night and was placing a plastic bag on his desk next to the window.

The bag smelled intoxicatingly like breakfast.

Instead of the standard arrangement of four beds along the wall with the window and desks closer to the door, team APRC had each moved a bed flush with one corner of the room and placed a desk adjacent to that. Looking into their room it was Kad to the front left, Co'Balt to the front right, and closer to the door, Jaxon on the left and Alicia on the right.

Kad took a tin foil wrapped something out of the bag and dropped it onto Co'Balt's chest. He snorted, twitched awake and looked around the room still a bit sleepy.

"Welcome back to the land of the living."

Kad tossed some more packages at Alicia and Jaxon. She didn't normally eat in bed but since Kad had gone through all of the trouble...

"Alright get ready guys. Classes start at nine in two hours."

Jaxon flicked his right lion ear back into place since it had folded down onto itself during the night.

"What's up first?"

Kad took out his scroll,

"History with Oobleck, Dueling rules and practice with Goodwitch, lunch… Something I can't pronounce with Professor Peach and finally at the end of the day we get to all go meet Ali's grandfather for Grimm studies."

"Chop chop team we have a busy day."


	13. The Forge

Goodwitch's class had turned out to be a lot more fun than he thought it would be especially, on practice days.

The boy in green had seized the initiative in the first few moments of their fight. Rushing and trying to catch Kad off guard with a high jumping kick.

Which Kad had easily smacked aside, but before he could follow through Ren had back flipped out of his reach and drawn two pistols with long blades attached under the barrels. Kad grabbed his chain and started spinning it.

It made a massive amount of noise swooping in circles while he gripped it like a quarter staff. But it was keeping his opponent on his toes as he did not know how Kad would strike.

Now Kad was pondering what to do. Bullets weren't exactly forbidden during matches but even training rounds could still do damage. Ren hadn't shot at him yet so maybe he was thinking as well.

Their audience was cheering, some whistling in excitement, others roaring with impatience.

Kad let go of the chain with his left hand and swung it low in his right at Ren's legs.

He tried to jump over the steel but wasn't fast enough. His aura level dropped as it saved him from having at least one leg broken but he was now immobilized, and fell down on his right when Kad yanked sideways.

Breathless he tried to stand up but Kad ran forward and right kicked him in the stomach.

Ren flew backwards rolled a few times, and then came to a stop on his back, wheezing and trying to figure out why the room wouldn't stop spinning.

Lights came on, brightening up the darkened stage. Goodwitch stepped out of the shadows.

"Lie Ren your aura has dropped into the red. Kad Amaranth you are the winner, congratulations."

Kad smiled slightly flicked his chain off of Ren's legs, and began looping it back around his waist. He had left his jacket in the stands with his team. Less formal attire and combat clothing was required during these practice sessions on off days, this was the last match of the day.

A few individuals but so far no team had a completely unbroken track record in these mini tournaments or even their personal class standings.

Kad was proud to say he was one of those few, even if it had only been two weeks. And he had yet to face most of the other group of undefeated students.

Kad's team however was a different story

Alicia had been out performed in Dust manipulation and defeated by the Schnee girl. Who had more experience with which types of elements were better against which.

Alicia used more raw forms of Dust but Weiss had combinations rarely seen and Alicia didn't have an answer for. Weiss kept the larger girl at range and won in a few minutes.

Poor Jaune Arc had been the unfortunate target of Alicia's frustration the next day, during her third and his first ever practice match. He never stood a chance.

Co'Balt was unbeaten, thrashing all of the opponents sent against him so far

Jaxon was fifty fifty, he had beat some of the more inexperienced students but still lost against others, though not from lack of trying. There was only so much one could do against the four time running champion of the Mystral tournament.

So far there was no clear contender for class champion at the moment. But the school year was still young and who knew what might happen. He wasn't mad or disappointed at all with any of his teammates.

"So what can we learn from this?" Goodwitch asked all of those assembled.

_"__Shoot him next time!" _Someone yelled form the audience.

Goodwitch smiled, "Yes a hunter should always be aware of the tools at their disposal, and how best to apply them. You are all dismissed, have a good evening."

Students began filing out of the arena, team JNPR came up to help Ren to his feet. Nora shot Kad a murderous look, but he wasn't worried, just miffed slightly. It had been a fair fight, no one was hurt bad. Kad saw no reason to be upset about the outcome.

Some people were just sore losers.

And he had a project to complete so no time to waste on being angry.

* * *

Weiss wanted nothing more than to just go back to their dorm and take a nap after the long day of watching practice duels. She hadn't fought but she had watched all of them, paying close attention to the strengths and weaknesses of her peers.

Good things to note for the tournament ahead.

As usual her fearless leader had other plans at the end of the day.

Ruby told her she just needed a new whetstone for her scythe. Weiss knew better, Ruby had just made up another reason to go look at the mechanical building and whatever weapons people might be building there.

While she could appreciate tactical knowledge of what other students might be using, Ruby was just obsessed with weapons, well maybe not obsessed but there were still plenty of healthier hobbies.

Rather than argue and have Ruby sulk the rest of the night, Weiss just agreed and went along hoping for a short trip.

After all who would be doing anything there right after classes. Most people would be resting sensibly or getting dinner now. Maintenance time was usually planned for the weekends.

The two of them entered the building, lights were on but nobody was around. Weiss was pleased, Ruby slightly less so.

"Okay find your stone and….."

She was cut off by an unexpected loud metallic banging noise.

"OWW! GOD DAMMIT KAD!"

"I told you to you hold on!"

Ruby and Weiss both looked at each other confused. Apparently there were people here.

The yelling had come from the back in the rarely used forge,

There was only so much that the ventilation in the back could do about the smoke from the furnaces, while it wasn't choking, the air was still thick with fumes.

Three members of team APRC were back here. Alicia, next to the door and a fan, reading through a magazine leaning back in a chair, feet kicked up on an anvil. As far away as she could get from Kad and Co'Balt. Who both stood what seemed dangerously close to the blazing inferno of the largest furnace.

Co'Balt was rubbing his right wrist glaring at Kad who stood there glaring back, right hand leaning a sledgehammer back on his shoulder and gripping a large glowing piece of metal with a pair of tongs in his left.

Alicia looked up at the two new arrivals.

"Don't worry, they've been at it like this all afternoon."

Ruby was concerned,

"Is something wrong?"

"No they just can't seem to work together at the moment, nothing to worry about."

Weiss took a closer look at what the two boys were doing. It was obvious they were trying to make a blade of some sort.

While this back area was usually as clean as could be expected, there were lots of fragments of scorched jagged metal on the ground, possibly the results of a few failures. Troughs for liquids to temper blades were half filled with the usual concoctions of treatment chemicals.

What really caught her eye was one of the enormous trays that still had a slightly glowing layer of Dust still in it, burn Dust to be specific

_Oh those idiots._

'Please tell me they haven't been doing what I think they're doing?"

Alicia raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Doing what?"

"Seriously you haven't stopped them?"

"If you look closely at my face, you can see I don't know what the hell you're talking about…."

Weiss placed her left hand on the bridge of her nose and her right hand clutched to her left side. Her classic exasperated look. She hated to see Dust used so wastefully.

Co'Balt and Kad dropped what they were doing, and walked over from the furnace to talk to the new spectators.

Co'Balt was in a bad mood and the present company wasn't going to help one bit.

"Yes, your highness….." his voice dripping with sarcasm bordering on disgust.

This was another reason Weiss didn't get out all that often, all of the lower classes treating her like this because of her position. She had been trying to be a little less standoffish recently at Beacon. Dirty people like these didn't help.

Both of them were filthy from hours spent hammering on their project. Co'Balt's shirt may have started out white that day but was now black and streaked with sweat marks that made interesting patterns. Kad earlier decided that laundry wasn't worth it and had been working shirtless, he was no less covered in grime. Both of them had leather aprons tied around their waists and thick gloves to shield their hands from being burned.

Ruby wasn't discouraged by his tone of voice. She liked trying to make new friends.

"Where's your other partner, Jason?"

Kad just wanted to know what this half of RWBY was doing here so he could get back to work.

"Jaxon, he had to make a call. Do you two need something?"

Weiss answered for her leader.

"Just a whetstone….. Have you been trying to treat that sword with Dust?"

"Trying, yes."

"After you've cooled it down and tempered it…"

Co'Balt snorted, "That's what is says in the book lady."

"For any other type of Dust, that would be the right procedure."

Weiss dipped her finger tips in the Dust left over and rubbed some around examining it.

"Burn Dust however will just ruin your sword. I assume you were on the verge of figuring this out?"

Kad knew something was wrong,

He thought it was just the metal quality, which is why he enlisted Co'Balt to help him after he learned that his parents ran a metal shop and occasionally forged swords. Co'Balt told him his mockups were fine. Kad had a good eye for detail and made the blade perfectly shaped and proportioned for its design.

Kad had finally after some consideration and a dream or two settled on making himself a great sword. The blade was going to be thick and about a hand and a half wide at its base near the cross guard and tang. Narrowing but not by much toward the point.

It was going to be a lot longer than any weapon he had wielded so far, the sword minus the hilt was about shoulder height on him. The hilt was near two and a half measurements of his hands long. Alicia made some snippy remarks about how big it was. But Kad thought it going to be perfect for him.

Sharp on both sides, since he liked versatility, a trench to allow blood to flow down the blade so it didn't get stuck in anything, or anyone.

And then he had the inspiration to fuse Dust with the blade. Thinking of the painting Cinder had shown him when she explained what his name meant.

All of this was turning out easier said than done however,

"So we fix this by?..."

"Just immerse the blade in the Dust while it's still hot, fire it again, and then let it cool and treat it."

Ruby was intrigued by this new side of Weiss, "I didn't think you were into stuff like this Weiss."

"It helps to know about how your business works my father told me. I've been hanging around all kinds of Dust trades my entire life."

Alicia sat up and pulled a Dust canister out from her book bag lying at her feet, the indicator was glowing full, there were three empty canisters next to this one in her bag.

That must have cost her. Hopefully she wasn't wasting so much of it out of the goodness of her heart.

Kad turned back to the furnace and showed the blade deep into the fires.

Weiss knew Alicia had skill with Dust, so why didn't she know what her partners were doing wrong?

As if sensing her question she spoke, "Before you ask I was never really the arts and crafts type."

"Well I'm glad you think of these noble skills so highly."

"Ehh, well you're welcome to stay and watch."

Co'Balt walked past the three of them without a word, wiping his face with a rag. Alicia called after him.

"Where are you going?"

"To take a shower, the Ice Queen seems to have solved our problem."

"HEY!"

Weiss hated her spreading nickname so much.

Alicia tossed the Dust canister to Kad then leaned back in her seat.

Ruby leaned against the wooden barrier to the scrap pile and watched as Kad filled the trough and then took his blade out of the furnace.

He examined it for a moment making sure it hadn't warped at all after he had accidently knocked it out of Co'Balt's grasp earlier, which jarred his wrist pretty bad.

The air shimmered, almost catching fire around the sword as he moved it to the Dust tray. He had to fabricate this tray himself since there weren't any big enough in the supply room.

The metal hissed as it made contact with the Dust.

"How long should it be there?"

"Just a few more minutes, then back in the furnace."

Weiss was satisfied that he couldn't screw it up any more from this point onward, and that Ruby was fascinated enough to stick around, so she turned and headed back to their dorm.

* * *

Finally it was done.

Kad had just put the last touches on the hilt with a smooth wooden grip wrapped in dark leather and shiny silver wire. The pommel was capped by a chisel point giving him greater capacity to do damage if he slammed the hilt down on something. The cross guard was made out of a pair of Taijitu fangs Kad had taken as trophies some time ago. He had polished the blade enough to remove the last bits of soot from the surface, which still felt warm even after being tempered again and left at room temperature till it was safe to touch. The metal was still red but only from the color it had took on after the Dust stabilized.

If he could ever channel his aura through the blade it would burn through anything in its path.

Kad raised the red blade and took a stance holding it in two hands out in front of his body. Alicia and Ruby stepped back to give him some room to see how the blade felt in his hand.

It felt lighter than he expected swinging figure eights around his shoulders.

He spun it a few more times, thrust forward and, backward in a reverse grip, finally he brought the blade back behind his back and swung it backhanded with all his strength right at the anvil it had been forged on.

It didn't even slow when he sliced the solid iron piece in two.

Not a single mark on the razor edge.

_Marvelous_

Alicia and Ruby clapped their hands for his brief display. Kad set the blade point down against the wall and just stood back admiring it for a moment.

"What are you going to call it?"

"Scuse me?"

"It's gotta have a name."

"Why is that Ruby?"

"We've all named our weapons, Crescent Rose, Ember Celica, Myrtenaster….."

"Detergeo. Keila, Uzipho…" Alicia added.

_Crap_

Kad hadn't even thought of that, he knew how attached some people became with their weapons, he certainly had. But at the end of the day they were tools, easily replaced nothing to lose sleep over.

Ruby suddenly got excited.

"I know what about… aaaaa… no not that, maybe….. hmmmm…."

"It's alright Ruby. No rush it's done, that's what matters. Tell me if you think of something later."

* * *

**Sort of kinda hint hint readers. I'm out of ideas and maybe you have some for his sword's name, unless I think of something first.**

**A/N If my unpromised update schedule becomes more sporadic its because I'm back at college. ****_I am not abandoning this story_**

**Thanks for reading have a great day.**


	14. Forever fall

More weeks passed,

And Kad was getting bored, seriously on the verge of sticking a knife in a power socket to make something interesting happen, bored.

He had heard of more robberies in the city, Cinder's allies doing their part for the cause. And Kad still here sitting on his hands, waiting.

Why he was thinking more about his lot in life right now he didn't know.

It was a beautiful day, bright and sunny but he couldn't seem to enjoy it, stuck inside moving from class to class.

None of his team seemed to notice his mood at the moment. Lunch was pretty uneventful today, though that was nothing new. People came, they ate, they talked, they left, day in day out.

He and his team were sitting close to the entrance of the cafeteria. Kad could only fit on the ends of these tables. He and Jaxon on one side, Co'Balt and Alicia on the other.

Alicia was dead to the world at the moment, sleeping resting her chin on her right hand and leaning slightly against Co'Balt to her right. Who either didn't know or didn't care. Those two got along well enough but in no way were they romantically interested in each other.

It was a long way between them and the rest of the students on this row of tables. So they only had their own company.

It had been a slow week and the biggest thing coming up was a trip in to forever fall.

To collect sap of all things. Kad was trying to be excited about that but was failing.

Co'Balt and Jaxon were trying to figure out why Professor Peach would need so much of the stuff.

"Do you think Peach makes drugs out of it?" Co'Balt asked,

"Drugs? Are you serious? It's probably for research the professors do a lot of that here."

"But why are we all collecting so much of it. Don't you think..."

The conversation just went downhill from there. Kad tuned them out and flipped through his history textbook some more.

A few things bugged him about these books.

Any other student or person on this planet probably wouldn't be bothered by it.

_Falling from the sky, the mountains fast approaching..._

He knew this time those were his own memories, of what seemed like just a dream now.

Humanity appeared, the Grimm rose up, the first wars with them and between kingdoms, Dust, the Faunus, more Grimm. Peace, civil unrest, six kingdoms down to the four now….

It seemed like the earliest histories were only of the the end and aftermath of the first war with the Grimm. There was no real speculation on humanity's beginning. Born from Dust wasn't good enough for him. Why wasn't there anything from before the first wars. Was that knowledge never written down, lost in the wars.

Did such a time even exist?

His speculation was suddenly cut off by a now familiar sound.

Velvet Scarlatina screaming as Cardin Winchester pulled on her ears.

Again.

Kad didn't look up, not his problem right now,

Jaxon felt differently and this behavior was starting to get on his nerves,

They were all here to learn how to defend all of the people of the world, Human and Faunus. There was no room for bigotry at Beacon.

He stood up to go confront Cardin,

Kad reached over without even looking and pushed him firmly back onto the bench. His massive right hand didn't budge on his partner's left shoulder.

Jaxon turned outraged to look at his leader.

Kad brought his face down close to Jaxon's. Orange eyes steady and unwavering,

"Not. Our. Problem."

He accentuated each word, trying to drill their meaning into Jaxon's stubborn head.

"She….."

"She is a huntress in training. She can probably handle herself. If she needs help her team will help. It's her problem if she can't stand up for her dam self, or her team is too selfish to help. We all will get into trouble if you go up there and kick his ass. No matter how just you think you are."

"I can take him."

"And his team? You'll get swarmed and then I'm gonna have to go break their legs."

"Don't you care? I thought you were different from the other _humans…_"

"It's not my job to fight other people's personal battles. You can pick someone up of the ground as much as you like. But if they refuse to stay standing whats it to you? She must have some fire in her veins if she made it to Beacon. Give it a few more days and this will probably _sort itself out._"

Co'Balt slapped Alicia's arm and woke her up, they were going to have a full blown crisis on their hands in about two seconds.

Jaxon dug his nails into the table scratching the wood.

Kad tightened his grip, pressure building to pain in Jaxon's shoulder.

"Stay. Put."

"You… don't… get it…"

"I don't care. Bring it up with Goodwitch. She'll sort it out. _You _stay out of it."

Jaxon lowered his head in submission. He still didn't like it.

Kad let him go, then stood up. "Come on, back to the dorm. Port's test is in an hour."

Alicia and Co'Balt were to stunned to speak, what was up with Kad?

* * *

_Stupid sap_

Who did they think they were dealing with here, it was almost insulting.

APRC collected their jars in no time at all, with still a few more hours to go till four o'clock when they were supposed to rejoin the class.

Goodwitch had said the forest was full of Grimm, Kad hadn't seen as much as a footprint from anything. While his team sat underneath some trees to just enjoy the day. Kad had wandered off.

The others didn't care. They knew he could handle himself.

Thicker brush blocked his way. He easily snapped the branches continuing onward.

Moving deeper and deeper into the red trees.

How long had it been since people had walked this path, had they ever?

This part of the forest even felt different from the other parts.

It was tangible, it was in the air, he could smell it.

The smell of monsters.

He wasn't afraid, only cautious.

And bored, if he didn't have a real fight soon he was going to snap the next time a teacher told him to go to page who gives a fuck.

Not more practice, no more mock combat. That wasn't what he was built for.

He was getting used to carrying his new blade around with him. The hilt of his sword bumped into a few branches, sticking out over his right shoulder as the canopy closed over his head. But he could still see the massive tree in the distance, which was what he was aiming for.

But Kad stopped well short of his target.

He had found something much more interesting.


	15. The deep forest

"Are you certain its dead?"

"Absolutely."

"Impressive ."

Co'Balt had to admit killing an Ursa Major all alone was pretty badass. The way vomit boy saved the class dickhead not so much.

Anyone of his teammates would probably have let Cardin die. Good riddance

Co'Balt, Jaxon, and Alicia had been rudely rounded up by their fellow students, when they all came rushing by yelling about an Ursa. Goodwtich had gathered up all of the teams, and was doing a head count.

Everyone was accounted for, except one.

"Where is Kad?" She asked looking directly at his leaderless team.

Co'Balt stepped forward. "He took off into the woods. We didn't think we needed to stop him."

"When was this?"

"Bout half an hour ago."

More howls and roars of Grimm sounded in the distance.

"Show me where. I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this trip short…"

* * *

Ruins, but not like in the Emerald forest. These were in a smaller clearing. The vegetation around them was dead, the eternally red trees withered and leafless around the few remaining carved stones. If it was a temple it was nowhere near the size of the one initiation's relics were placed in.

A few jagged rocks circled the clearing, remains of a larger structure perhaps. The few stones still in their original position were blackened and scorched. Not like the smooth gray of the last temple.

Kad walked to the center. Even the grass was dead here.

One wall, the largest still standing really caught his eye, the only part of the temple still in relatively good condition. A mural wall, the whole thing was weathered with time but Kad recognized what was carved in it it easily,

The history of man done in the almost cartoonish style of the ancients. The little doll figure representing man, standing for the first time, his cities rising in the background. The Grimm, the Crystal for Dust, fighting back.

Something else, lower on the wall.

A few dead piles of brush hid some carvings that Kad had never seen before.

Another figure reaching up toward a cloud of darkness over his head. Darkness marked with pairs of dots and slashes that Kad took to be eyes.

A group of figures confronting this lone individual and the spreading darkness, the one in the shadows going to his knees in the center of the cloud being pushed back by the others with outstretched hands projecting rays of light.

Grimm roses up from the earth when the figure stood again defiant, the darkness coalesced into the man and the Grimm. These figures clashed and another, larger individual, rose from behind the ones who had been battling the Grimm and marched on the shadow man.

These two beings confronted each other. The one in shadow was slain by the other's sword.

The monsters disappeared and so did the warrior. Grimm leaving to the sides of the carving. The man seemingly floating upwards.

Then the carvings became more familiar, darkness and Grimm surrounding man in his castles threatening to drag civilization down to the void, till others rose and drove them back with the Dust crystals.

_Oobleck would love to see this_, Kad thought to himself.

Kad stood about to leave but noticed another mark he had never seen before, at the top of the mural above everything else near the massive break in the stone from where the top half must have been violently removed.

It seemed like half of a medallion, arrows pointing outward from barbed concentric circles, and a flaming eye where the center would be if the rest of the circle was still around,

_Danger_

_Distraction means death….._

Adrenaline shot through his veins as he mentally kicked himself and focused again on his surroundings.

The shifting leaves out of this circle of decay,

The flickering light through the thick canopy high above his head,

And the two Beowolves silently rushing toward his vulnerable back.

Time slowed.

Kad reached up and grabbed the hilt of his sword, knocking it out of the buckle that held it in place. A full scabbard would have made grabbing his weapon awkward and slow. Two more things that could get him killed.

He spun left, brought his other hand onto the hilt, aiming neck height behind him Decapitating both wolves with one swing. Lifeless and headless bodies tumbled to the side. Kad's own momentum and the weight of his sword spun him around. He began to think.

_Scouts, more will come._

Maybe he hadn't taken Goodwitch's warning for all it was worth.

Stupid,

No way would he ever be beaten by just two wolves. But he was probably being surrounded right now.

But Kad didn't see any shadows indicating a larger pack, but better safe than sorry.

He turned back the direction he came, only to stop as he looked closer at the ground.

The moving ground.

Dirt, bushes and rocks moving clockwise, turning a bit he saw this happening all around the clearing.

_Shit_

The King Taijitu he had awoken slowly eased out of the ground. Black and white halves slowly coiling on top of each other blocking his escape.

Kad got a firmer grip on his sword raising it upright on his right side, glad that he had it now. His knife and chain probably wouldn't have done much to this monster.

One head then, the other rose above its scaly length right in front of Kad.

_"__Outsider"_

**"****Hunter"**

_"__Deluded"_

**"****You can't be something you're not."**

Did the snake speak?

Kad could hear the words, but like they were thoughts in his head. The Taijitu heads leaned closer.

_"__He knows more now."_

**"****But still so little."**

Very little could stun Kad but this left him speechless.

**"****Help the weak. Defend your world... selfless."**

_"__Stupid, you could be so much more."_

**"****You sit in a web of lies and think yourself a spider."**

_"__You sit in that school and think yourself to be a hero."_

No Grimm had every talked before, not to him, not to anyone.

He knew them inside and out, their habits, their tactics, he had shot them, stabbed them, crushed them with his bare hands.

**"****Come, speak for yourself boy."**

_"__Hehehehe, his fire's gone out. Can't do anything without a hand to hold."_

**"****We expected more from you."**

And now whatever this is was insulting him. His muscles tightened, rage burned inside him.

The air near his sword started to rise in temperature, the red blade glowing as he subconsciously projected his aura out.

Still thinking,

_The manifestation of anonymity,_

Anonymity the state of being anonymous. Anonymous, lacking distinction or character. Yet here he was confronted with possibly a set of distinct personalities. From the Grimm of all things.

The two heads reared back, wary now.

Good

He had slain dozens of their kindred, and if this creature had a mind of its own he would be doing the universe a favor carving the life out of it.

**"****Why so harsh? Can't handle the truth when it's thrown before you?"**

"What truth, riddles and chaff more like it, what do you want?"

_"__Ssssssssssss, not yet little soldier. In time."_

Enough,

With a roar of all his pent up frustration, and blade burning bright. Kad leapt forward and brought his sword overhead and down into the side of the snake.

Scales parted and burned, but he hadn't cut anything vital. Now both heads hissed in pain and surprise.

The black head darted down, bounced of the Earth and came at him jaws open wide from the left

Easily bringing his sword out of the snake Kad rolled backwards out of its way, But with an impact like a semi-truck the white head crashed into his right.

It didn't bite him, just sent him flying back into the clearing.

Kad rolled a few times but came up swinging at the black head coming around. Jaws open to swallow him whole,

Its own momentum sealed its fate. The sword left a blazing wake as Kad stepped back and swung. Fast steel meeting even faster monster, he cut the top of its head off, its lower jaw was still attached to the body, the rest of the snake limply slid to a stop, the top falling just behind Kad, the cut he made burning bright like he had took a plasma cutter to the beast.

The white head reared up. Normally kill one half the other would go nuts but this just hung there.

Kad could swear it was satisfied.

_"__A start, you can slay the vessel, but never us. Time is not on your side little one, when the light flickers and fades away, your only salvation will be in the dark with us."_

Its eyes lost focus, the snake looked confused, injuries suddenly registering on whatever passed for its brain.

It hissed ferociously, dove down to avenge its other half. Destroying the rest of the mural to try and get to Kad.

Flourishing his flaming sword right handed Kad reached to his left where he now kept Amaranth's knife and drew it in a reverse grip.

The Taijitu opened its mouth

Kad raised his sword

And plunged it burning down the monster's throat. It was still moving fast, and Kad was carried along with it boots carving twin trenches in the dirt. He planted his feet in the ground and rolled the injured snake upside down. Leaning around its convulsing throat, Kad snarled and plunged his knife left handed deep into its eye.

After a few moments it was dead. And Kad was alive.

Shaken and wondering what in the world he had just encountered.

_His fire's gone out._

Kad pulled his sword out of the Grimm.

Fire, Oh Kad had his fire.

And a name for the sword in his hand.

Ignis,

He was a Huntsman. He would suffer through all of the little crap at Beacon if it meant he could go one day and kill the Grimm.

All of them,

Whatever he had just met, he couldn't explain it in anyway at all.

It seemed to know about him.

_Wow what a mystery._

_Eyes in the dark cloud, down into the Grimm_

But could he tell anyone what he had seen?

No, what would they think? Probably that he was crazy.

And they wouldn't even know half of it.

* * *

"Are you sure he went this way?"

"Yes we were sitting here, he left that way, you all came panicking. Rounded us up over there. And now here we are again."

Goodwitch wasn't taking kindly to Co'Balt's tone. But she was more concerned with their missing student at the moment.

All of them were on the lookout for Grimm but the creatures appeared to be moving off if the sounds in the distance were any indicators.

Pyrrha Nikos spoke to Alicia, "Why did you let him go?"

"He was acting weird, wouldn't talk to us so we were just going to let him go walk it off."

Jaxon had found the hole Kad had ripped in the thick branches. He was going to call the others when he saw Kad in the shadows, easily recognizable with his orange leather jacket. He looked a little beaten but otherwise unharmed.

"I found him!" He called to the rest of his class.

Kad stepped out of the shadows. Confused as to why everyone was there.

"Did I miss something?"


	16. Plans

The semester was drawing to an end and despite how all of APRC had expected the schedule to ramp up, after a few finals there was really nothing to do.

So Kad was having them spend more and more time in the gym whipping them into shape for the upcoming tournament.

Even though he had no interest in competing himself. What would be the point?

He was still undefeated in all of the class rankings. Matches had pretty much just turned into him beating up other students because the teachers said so, Pyrrha was the only other student who everyone hated to fight just as much as him.

Interestingly enough he had yet to face her. One of these days that would happen, giving him more excuses to just say over qualification as the reason he wasn't entering the tournament.

Right now he was taking on the rest of his team. Who were trying their best to break through his guard as Kad backed up around the practice mat, left hand slapping Uzipho, Keila, and Detergeo away with his chain. Knife held back against his right forearm, blocking cuts and other strikes.

They all worked well together, timing their attacks, moving around. But to Kad they seemed to be moving in almost slow motion.

Co'Balt snagged Keila in the chain and tried to immobilize his arm. Kad flicked the chain upward and almost brought Co'Balt off his feet. Jaxon lunged, right hand on the bottom of Uzipho trying to extend his reach as much as he could. Kad switched his grip on the knife, their weapons smacked together. Kad pushed back and up, Uzipho nearly flew out of Jaxon's hand as he stumbled backwards.

Alicia jumped forward, and almost caught him with an elbow to the stomach, Kad brought his right knee up and caught her in the chest. She almost doubled over. Even the strongest warriors had little protection where he hit her.

She half leaned over trying to catch her breath. Kad shoved her away left handed still holding the chain tangled with Co'Balt's axe.

Alicia sprawled to the ground then Kad really dug his feet in and pulled his chain right. With Co'Balt still holding on. The Faunus's feet actually left the ground. And he seemed to float right in front of Kad. Spinning on his right leg he snap kicked himin the chest a little higher then where he hit Alicia.

Finally Co'Balt let go of Keila, flew backwards and bowled over Jaxon who had just regained his balance.

Kad won. Again

The three of them were groaning on the ground, tasting bitter failure yet again.

"Not dam fair." Jaxon growled.

Kad calmly helped each of his teammates to their feet.

"It was perfectly fair, keep trying and one day you might actually hit me." Kad smiled,

Maybe they could hit him. No way in hell they would ever actually beat him.

Jaxon was serious, "Come on man, you sent Co'Balt flying like he was nothing. And he makes everyone here but me, you, Cardin and Yatsuhashi look small. And you make all us look freaking tiny."

"Size isn't everything Jaxon."

Alicia snickered to herself…

_Dammit walked right into that,_

"Still, you're not normal dude."

Kad didn't know whether to take offense to that. It was partially true…

None of them wanted to go another round, even though they had the rest of this Sunday off. And a long boring week ahead of them, so they all sat down on some nearby benches and exercise machines,

Jaxon had some ideas on what to do, "Anyone want to go to town? I heard exchange students are going to start trickling in this week."

"Where did you hear that from?" Alicia asked

"Weiss was excited about it."

"Really? You two talked?"

"Umm, not really but I hear things." Jaxon tapped his left hand near his Lion ears for emphasis.

"We don't need to go to Vale and spy on them. They'll all be coming to Beacon to be evaluated, and qualify for the tournament. So we can just wait for them to come to us."

Kad felt they should still do something, rather than just waste the rest of the weekend in Beacon.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

His scroll was ringing

His scroll never rang.

Anyone who wanted to talk knew where to find him. He was kind of hard to miss.

New message,

Text only,

Coordinates, Vale business district.

Time, later tonight,

From Cinder.

_Well, well, plans are moving. _Kad hadn't expected Cinder to be in the Kingdom again so soon.

"Maybe we could go to Vale."

"Why?" Co'Balt asked.

"Meh, its Sunday, nothing better to do. We should offload some of our books we don't need anymore."

His team's body language suggested that they were probably on board, if only because they had no better plan for the evening.

Kad stood and rolled his shoulders, "Come on, I'll buy lunch."

That sealed the deal. Everyone filed out of the gym heading back to their dorm. Kad was last out, deep in thought wondering what Cinder wanted,

So he forgot to duck under the door and smacked his head straight into it. His hands flew up to his face, muttering curses under his breath

Jaxon turned around, "I told you, not normal."

'Shut up."

* * *

The airship was practically deserted when they boarded, they hadn't brought much aside from their weapons and books that Kad slinging all by himself in a duffel bag. Kad and Co'Balt stood for the flight. Jaxon and Alicia sat down on one of the benches beneath the massive bay windows.

Then Ruby, Weiss, and Yang boarded, seconds before the ramp slammed shut. The three girls sat a short distance right across from APRC.

They did not look happy, more specifically, Ruby and Yang looked semi frightened, Weiss just looked more irked than usual.

_Where was Blake?_

"Somethin wrong?" Co'Balt asked their flight companions.

Weiss just glared at him clearly wanting to keep matters private.

"Blake ran off yesterday." Ruby answered.

"We're worried." Yang added.

"Why?" Jaxon asked.

Weiss spoke, "It's nothing you need to concern yourselves with." Eyes shooting daggers at the rest of her team.

It was only a short flight down to town, so the awkward silence didn't last all that long. And the seven of them split off into their respective teams immediately.

Kad placed the books in a rented storage locker. Tukson's would be open pretty late, he wanted to enjoy the day. Plus he had promised everyone lunch.

"Whats up with RWBY you think." Alicia asked her companions.

"You've hung out with them haven't you?" asked Jaxon,

"A little, but I don't get daily status reports or anything."

"I dunno. Maybe they finally noticed Blake's a Faunus and it didn't go so well."

"Wait, What? She's a Faunus?... Wh-?... How did you know?"

Jaxon's face suddenly went red and he started stuttering. "Ummm, she ahhh… Smelled... different… You know…"

"You smelled her?"

"I couldn't help it! And it wasn't intentional. You know some Faunus just have better senses than humans. And… and… Co'Balt knew too!"

"Only cause you told me."

Alicia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I'm surrounded by males." Right hand on her forehead in minor shock.

"Kad did you know?"

"Yes." He replied nonchalantly.

That little fact was a shock to all of them. Neither Jaxon or Co'Balt had told him.

They all looked questioningly at their leader, how the hell had he found out?

"The sunlight was hitting her bow weird one day when she was standing in front of me in the library."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jaxon asked,

"You know I mind my own business." Kad felt he needed to set the record straight with Jaxon...

"So what if she's a Faunus, so what that you two are Faunus? I don't care. No one should be thought of as anything less than their potential to change the world."

Jaxon developed a sudden interest in the pavement.

He couldn't help it, defaulting back to old ways of thinking. Ones that he wasn't proud of.

Kad had only been accepting this whole year, and here Jaxon was nearly thinking of him as any other rotten human.

_There was no room for bigotry at Beacon._

Kad gripped his shoulder reassuringly, "Come on, daylights' burning."


	17. Midnight

The Grimm cages that Professor Port utilized for his creatures were in a dark back corner of the building he usually lectured in. Port didn't go out and capture these creatures himself much anymore but it was a common test for seniors to bring back specific sizes and species of Grimm under his supervision. Testing their tracking and tactical skills.

Right now Jaxon and Co'Balt were moving empty cages to the back of the storage area. Alicia was checking the locks while Professor Port walked around doing paperwork on a clip board. Rambling on about stuff as he usually did.

"Well done boys. It pays to keep this place as organized as possible. One small misstep and these creatures would be loose in the school."

After trading in their old text books, their team had all spent a leisurely afternoon down in Vale, till Port had called Alicia asking if she could bring her team to give him a hand with his new inventory. They all decided it was getting late, plus they had classes the next day. And who knew maybe Port would throw some extra credit their way.

At least most of them decided.

Jaxon and Co'Balt were quietly cursing Kad, who hadn't decided to join them…

* * *

"I'll be fine get going.

"One might think your trying to get rid of us Kad…" Co'Balt speculated standing on the ramp of the airship.

"I'm busy."

"This seems a little out of style for you. What's the matter?"

"Port just wants help managing his critters nothing important, and to talk to his granddaughter some more."

"Do you have a hot date or something?"

"Good bye Co'Balt." Kad shifted Ignis on his shoulder and started walking back to Vale.

Co'Balt just turned around and walked into the airship, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"Fine, you can go be as schizophrenic as you want."

* * *

Alicia had grown used to the old man's eccentric ways long ago. Luckily inventory didn't take all that long, and they were about to head back to their dorm room, however seeing them leaving the room so quickly Port stopped them.

"Please it would be rude of me not to offer you tea for such a wonderful job."

"Its fine Grandpa, you don't need…"

"Nonsense, it will only take a moment."

Seeing no other way around this, the three of them got as comfortable as possible in the front row seats of Port's class room.

Port brought out an expensive looking tea set, placed it on his desk and started trying to make small talk as he poured four cups.

"Did you all have a good weekend? I know the end of the term can be stressful for first years."

"Not really, I mean the weekend was fine, classes are really winding down now." Jaxon answered.

Port handed him a cup, "How fortunate for all of you, I rarely caught a break when I was training to be a Huntsman."

Co'Balt rolled his eyes discreetly sensing another rant coming on.

Port finished handing out tea to everyone then leaned back on his desk waiting for his own cup to cool off.

"Relax all of you, were not in class right now."

Alicia could see why her teammates were a little reserved, most students found it difficult when a teacher paid more than the minimum amount of attention to them, while she was glad that she got to see her grandfather more at Beacon she was a little embarrassed that her friends had to deal with this unwanted attention.

"How is your mother Alicia?"

"She's fine, still thinks you should retire."

"Not a chance, some things shouldn't be trusted to the young."

Co'Balt threw back his cup in one gulp then rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck, "You know professor you've been a huntsman for a long time. Did you ever think about moving up in the world? "

"I was good at what I did dear boy, never thought of doing anything else. I was thoroughly amused when someone submitted me as a candidate for Marshal Huntsman."

Alicia had heard about this but never really asked much about it, "Why didn't you accept? It's really important. Kad talks about it sometimes."

Port laughed, "Ha! Someone should tell him that some things are not what they appear to be. Good looking from afar but far from good looking. Or something along those lines."

Jaxon was intrigued, "Really how so?"

"Haven't you three been paying attention to my lessons at all?"

No one could look him in the eyes for a few moments.

"We'll I suppose I haven't covered that yet, in my experience the Marshal is more along the lines of a politician. Delegating, reporting, commissioning, not really much actual hunting. I do believe most of the professors here have been in line for that post at one point or another. Really if you make it to my age, becoming a professor is one of the best things that can happen to you. Aside from having a family that is."

Port smiled at Alicia, she looked down to the side and blushed a bit. Port looked at the two Faunus.

"Tell me have either of you thought about where you would like to hunt after you've graduated."

Jaxon hadn't really, he wasn't really a long term thinker. He was almost surprised they let him in in the first place. He had nearly been arrested, before he decided to make some changes in his life.

"I don't know, I'd like to see the world but I also have family back in Vacuo."

Co'Balt just shrugged. Port kept on talking.

"It's good to travel, each kingdom is so different from all the others. If life didn't have variety it would certainly be dull wouldn't it."

"One way of putting it." Jaxon muttered quietly.

Port chuckled and set his empty cup down, "Well I won't keep you any longer, just make sure you all get rest tonight. All of you."

* * *

This warehouse district seemed mostly abandoned, in any other city that would mean increased police patrols. Vale's police force was small and underfunded so if any of them were around it was because someone called them. Otherwise it was just another urban waste land.

The kind which Kad was all too familiar with.

The perfect place to disappear in a city, or prime ambush ground.

The coordinates Cinder had given him were practically in the middle of this place. Last time he was near the area there had been a lot of property advertisements, most of which seemed to be gone now.

It was almost the time she had specified. Kad hadn't seen another living soul since night fell and he crossed into the industrial district. He still wasn't taking any chances, Kad turned his jacket inside out and zipped it up so only the jet black inside was showing.

He kept his hands off Ignis and the sword didn't glow at all. Keeping to the shadows he approached his target unseen.

These buildings were turning out to be a lot livelier than the rest of this place, he counted at least two snipers nests hidden on adjacent roof tops, decently hidden from a cursory visual inspection. A few snipers and spotters in each of them, overlapping fields of vision but still some approaches he could exploit.

Lights were flickering and moving in several of the nearby warehouses, the open ones had armed guards standing outside and when he finally got a look into the one he had come here to find there were at least half a dozen bullheads being unloaded by some people. Most of them were in uniforms.

Black hoods and long sleeved shirts under white sleeveless tunics, Grimm masks hiding their eyes. The red beast and claw marks drawn on their backs,

White Fang.

Interesting.

He couldn't say if he knew any of them, they were all in the same uniform pretty much, and none of their multitude of animal traits jogged his memory. He hadn't really interacted with the Faunus rights extremists Cinder dealt with, he might say he sympathized somewhat, but he wouldn't trust them as far as he could throw them.

There was scaffolding and a raised platform and more people toward the rear of the building he was looking in. Four White Fang and one person there he would recognize anywhere in the world.

Cinder….

Finally satisfied, Kad stepped out of the shadows and calmly walked up to the warehouse. He could almost sense the cross hairs lining up the fatal T. But no one blew his head off and the guards out front didn't say a word as he passed by.

There was a lift to take boxes up to the platform. He stepped on and it began to ascend on its own.

Convenient

The White Fang that were talking to Cinder turned to study this newcomer. Kad didn't care what they saw. They didn't get too long of a look before Cinder dismissed them.

"Go, prepare your men. He should be here shortly."

The four of them took the back stairway not wanting to go past Kad. If they were intimidated that was their problem. So he looked at his mentor, raised his arms up and smirked.

"Well I'm here. What are your other two wishes?"

Cinder almost smiled, "Just tell me how you've been."

"Can't complain really I suppose."

"You suppose?"

"Ehhh. I thought you were still going to be in Mistral for a few months?"

"We finished ahead of schedule. And a few things required our attention here."

"Our attention?"

"Mercury and Emerald are flying in later tonight."

"What's going on?"

Cinder didn't answer him, she looked out into the warehouse, something had caught her attention. Kad turned to see what had interrupted them.

A man was walking into the warehouse. He was dressed in a white suit, black pants, and had a black and red bowler hat on top of his head of red hair and was twirling a cane around like he didn't have a care in the world.

The infamous Roman Torchwick.

Both of them descended down to talk to Cinder's ally. Kad could sense Cinder wasn't pleased at all.

Torchwick laughed to himself as he looked at the Faunus moving about. "I've got to tell you, I love what you've done with the place. Just need some straw and a couple of water bowls it'll be downright cozy."

A few muffled snarls passed through the ranks of workers. Torchwick was on thin ice.

Cinder and Kad came within arm's reach of the criminal kingpin. Kad failed to see why he was so important to the cause.

He knew Vale. So did anybody with a map and half a brain.

He was a professional thief. Any idiot could rob a couple of Dust stores.

He had a network here. So what? They didn't need to deal with the who's who of the underworld.

The arrogant little shit probably thought he owned the world.

"Where have you been?" Cinder asked,

"Please, a man has needs you know. Who's your pet troll here?"

Cinder didn't even blink an eye at his attitude "The cargo at the docks leaves in two days. You are going to go there tonight and acquire it for us."

"With who, with what?"

He waved his right hand and cane about, indicating the Faunus.

"I'm not working with them. My work is delicate. I don't need a bunch of animals. One day. I'll have the right crew, and then I'll grab the Dust."

"You use what we give you."

Torchwick pulled out a cigar and stuck it is his mouth, "Well dearie, you….."

Kad took one step forward reached up and grabbed Torchwick, Kad's right hand easily wrapped around his throat and effortlessly lifted him off the ground and held him at eye level. Roman choked dropped his cigar and cane, both hands clawing at the iron grip around his neck.

Torchwick was struggling to breathe and his face was turning the same shade as his hair.

Cinder spoke, "I believe we had an agreement, you do as you are told, we both benefit. Kad put him down."

_Why?_

They couldn't afford trouble. Too much was riding on the success of their plan.

If a man causes you a problem, no man no problem. Kad was fond of that saying. He could snap Roman's scrawny neck with just a flick of his wrist.

_Then maybe Cinder would actually trust him with something important…_

"Kad!"

_Fine…._

Kad let go. Torckwick fell to his hands and knees. Coughing and gasping for air, left hand rubbing his throat.

Kad leaned over, "Do your job or you die."

Cinder turned around and got on the lift. "Kad join me."

Torchwick got up shakily and boarded a bullhead slamming the door behind him, groups of White Fang soldiers climbed into their ships as well. All the transports came to life and soared out into the night.

Once again Cinder and Kad were alone.

"That was unnecessary."

"It worked."

"Regardless not everything can be solved by overwhelming force."

"When your only tool is a hammer every problem starts to look like a nail."

"Please, you're smarter than that."

Kad crossed his arms over his chest, he wasn't going to lean back on the railing in case it snapped under his bulk.

"Why did you call me? I thought you made it clear stay in Beacon."

"What, we can't just chat for a minute?"

"Tired of Mercury and Emerald again? You could have avoided this problem you know."

Cinder sighed, they had been down this road before. "How many times do I have to tell you Kad? You are important. You're the only one I really trust I can fall back on. Is something wrong?"

**_"_****_You sit in a web of lies and think yourself a spider"_**

Ideas were beginning to float around in his head. Kad didn't want to pay attention to any of them.

Cinder took him in, gave him a purpose. He was supposed to trust her completely.

Why couldn't he shake the feeling something wasn't adding up.

"Right… Sorry."

Cinder sat down on one of the boxes scattered around them.

"It's all right. Now, tell me about Beacon…..Tell me everything."


	18. Semester 2

_Well Beacon certainly gets their second semester going fast. _Jaune thought to himself as he walked into the arena

This was probably all their fault anyway. Goodwitch was holding a massive round of duels, definitely out of spite for how they had nearly destroyed the cafeteria yesterday. And she had chosen members of both team RWBY and JNPR to fight.

Starting off with him.

Jaune was only a little nervous, Pyrrha had been training him for months, and she was amazed with his progress. That praise really got him through the last few weeks. She was confident he could hold his own in a fight,

Pyrrha gave him a thumbs up from the locker room entrance before stepping back into the shadows.

A few other parties in the stands unaware of these recent developments were not as positive.

"Twenty Liens he lasts about five minutes."

Yang had a nasty habit of betting on these fights, teachers discouraged the practice but it was one of the few ways to make a little money at Beacon.

"Well, fifty he gets beaten in three." Jaxon countered.

"So sure are we?" Yang raised an eyebrow at him.

Jaxon patted his pocket where he kept his wallet and held out his right hand to seal their wager. Yang shook it with a bone crushing grip, but Jaxon just grinned harder.

"Look who he's up against."

"Guys come on. Do you have to?" Ruby was upset about their lack of faith in her friend.

Yang just shrugged when she met her sister's eyes. "No offence Ruby…."

Sitting behind the three of them Kad laughed a little bit, "It's just Co'Balt didn't have his coffee this morning."

The bull Faunus was already center stage, spinning Keila in figure eights around his body, passing it from one hand to the other and back, completely comfortable with his capabilities.

Jaune drew his sword, expanded his shield and took his fighting stance.

Co'Balt stopped his display, placed his left hand beneath the ax head, above the trigger and his right further down the barrel.

The lights in the stands dimmed, both boys portraits, names, and their aura levels appeared on the holographic banners dangling near the locker room entrance.

Co'Balt sprang into action, hurling his ax as hard as he could with both hands at Jaune.

Jaune ducked behind his shield, feeling the air rushing past his head as Keila almost smashed into his face. He stood up to take a swing at Co'Balt but he was gone.

He spun left tucking his shield to his chest, Co'Balt had sped past him grabbed hold of Keila while it was still in the air, then pivoted on his right foot and struck with the blunt back side of his weapon.

Jaune didn't drop his shield but he did stagger backwards a few steps from the force of the hit,

He swung right at chest height but missed when his target rolled left. He recovered then struck backhanded, Crocea Mors smacked into Keila, Co'Balt pushed the blade back then made a wild swing overhead at Jaune.

For once the leader of team JNPR reacted fast enough

In the past he would have been madly backing away right about now. Instead Jaune rushed forward and punched with his shield. Co'Balt was caught off guard. He tried to bring his arms down to block but Jaune was too fast.

And surprisingly strong.

Co'Balt lost his balance and was pushed over onto his back.

The rest of his team winced slightly this was going to get ugly. With a savage snarl he jackknifed back to his feet and charged.

He drove JNPR's leader back with a furious storm of blows, chopping down, from the side, punching with the head and bottom of Keila, striking with his elbows and fists.

Jaune was having a tough time keeping all of the strikes from connecting, His shield helped but Co'Balt was nimbly and so damn fast.

Trying to block another overhead swing Jaune came up with a plan. He tilted his shield so that instead of just absorbing the force, Keila deflected off of it to his left and embedded in the floor.

Jaune punched right handed still holding his sword, Co'Balt abandoned his weapon in the floor and swung his left arm up to block. Their fore arms collided, Co'Balt pushed Jaune's aside, tilted his head and head butted Jaune right in the face with the top of his right horn.

Jaune lost his orientation for a minute but kept on his feet, trying to blink the stars out of his eyes, so he didn't see Co'Balt's right heel spin high and connect with his jaw. Sending him down hard on his left side his shield stuck between him and the ground.

_Great start Jaune, _he thought to himself

He looked on his scroll stuck on the back of his shield, his aura had dropped but at least it didn't feel like his jaw was broken, although he would probably just have to eat carefully tomorrow.

Alone, hiding from the embarrassment that he hadn't improved as much as he thought he had.

Co'Balt walked back over to his ax and ripped it out of the self-repairing floor, when it was damaged the tiles would melt back into their original shape given time.

He could go over and finish off Jaune right now, but Jaune was actually putting up a fight for once, he earned a chance to lose fairly,

Co'Balt spun Keila in circles right handed waiting for Jaune to stand up.

Jaune shot up swinging and screaming, still kneeling on the ground he cut back handed low at Co'Balt.

Who skipped backwards then lowered his shoulder and charged. Jaune flipped him over his shield but Co'Balt landed on his feet. Jaune spun and lunged up his blade nearly caught Co'Balt in the face, but the Faunus leaned back then grabbed Jaune's right wrist in his left hand.

Co'balt struck left handed but was too slow, Jaune blocked the ax and punched with his shield the top edge catching on the tip of Co'Balt's right horn, snapping his head to the left.

Jaune struck again pulling his sword arm back at the same time, breaking the grip on his wrist he pushed Co'Balt away.

Swinging right to left Jaune managed to land a cut across Co'Balt's chest whose aura levels dropped taking the hit.

He slashed Crocea Mors at Co'Balt's upper legs it skipped of his aura again making Co'Balt snarl in anger. He gripped Keila tighter feinted like he was going to take a swing or jab at Jaune, who raised his shield to block. But Co'Balt kicked out at his knees. Jaune brought his shield down to take the hit then had to lean back when Co'Balt swung at his head. Jaune saw the razor edge almost slice through his bangs hanging in front of his eyes.

Jaune brought his shield down to his right when Co'Balt backhanded with his ax Jaune caught it with his shield on the top edge, swung and pushed it to the left with all of his strength. Co'Balt was thrown off balance and Jaune punched him in the kidneys.

The blow barely even fazed him, he awkwardly maneuvered his left hand down till he felt Keila's trigger in his hand, maneuvered the barrel to point at Jaune's head. He had started this fight thinking he could avoid using the shotgun.

Jaune figured what was coming and he leaned back just in time, fire singed his eyebrows and he went deaf for a second as the blast echoed around the arena, but he wasn't hit.

He hoped Co'Balt had remembered to load training rounds.

Jaune hopped backwards trying to get room to act. He couldn't go through another round of grappling. Jaune's aura was hovering in the yellow range, Co'Balt's had just dropped down to that, which was more damage than Jaune had managed to do to anyone last semester.

Co'Balt stood with Keila slanted across his body, safe enough since Jaune didn't have a gun. He just stood there waiting for his opponent to move.

Jaune wasn't going to oblige him if he could help it.

After a moment Co'Balt tucked and rolled forward, punching Keila from an almost kneeling position at Jaune. He swung with both his shield and sword, simultaneously knocking the ax out of the way and slashing low across Co'Balt's left leg.

He used the momentum from the sudden direction change of his ax and punched at Jaune's face, his chest pushed Jaune's sword back against his shield pinning it. Jaune spat to the side when the blow landed twisting his neck left. Co'Balt almost kneed him in the groin but missed, hitting Jaune in the right leg stunning the muscles. Jaune pushed back against the Faunus with all his strength opening up some room between them. He tilted his shield and swung it right,

Co'Balt punched up with his right hand and Keila, crouching at the same time, pushing Crocea Mor's shield over his head. Jaune moved with his out of control momentum. Co'Balt spun counterclockwise to the right and swung Keila one handed at the same time, the ax hit Jaune on his left shoulder while his back was turned.

He turned around not beaten yet, his wild upward swing smacked on Co'Balt's left arm then his overhead chop down landed on the shoulder of the same arm.

Co'Balt jumped at Jaune, Keila held over his head ready to deliver the last blow. Jaune jumped and rolled backwards. Co'Balt swung down and missed sticking his ax stuck in the floor again.

Both of their auras were dangerously close to the red, Jaune spun back swinging from the left with all his strength, his first strike slashed across Co'Balt's forearmheld out front to block. Back again from the right straight across his chest. Co'Balt was trying to back up so that he could get Jaune away from Keila and pull it out of the floor.

It was working sort of, Jaune kept slashing at Co'Balt who was reeling from this sudden onslaught. His aura kept dropping when he blocked the sword with his fore arms. He was tired from trying to keep his aura strong.

Jaune punched with his shield one last time he was nearly exhausted, but his strike connected and knocked Co'Balt over onto his back once more, his head hit the ground hard and he nearly blacked out.

Jaune stood there, arms slack at his sides taking in ragged breaths and letting them out.

The lights in the arena snapped to life, Goodwitch walked to the center stage making marks on her scroll, she stood over Co'Balt who had his hands on the top of his head, eyes closed and a pained expression on his face,

"Are you alright Co'Balt?"

Co'Balt grumbled and cursed to himself, his head hurt but he was alright. Goodwitch took his near silence as confirmation he was fine. She then turned to Arc, surprise evident on her face and in her tone of voice.

"Congratulations Mister Arc, you've just broken the longest losing streak I have ever seen at Beacon."

Jaune was too tired and shocked to even stutter some form of response to that.

He won.

_He Won!_

That realization was slowly bringing a smile to his face, as his breathing returned to normal and he regained his posture.

The stands erupted in conversation both whispered and nearly shouted, no one had expected this.

Yang and Jaxon were too shocked to settle their bets. Ruby stood up clapping and cheering. Jaune slowly walked back into the locker rooms, he would have offered Co'Balt a hand up if he didn't think that the Faunus would have taken a swing at him.

Pyrrha was waiting there for Jaune.

"You did it!"

"Uh huh somehow…"

His partner just smiled at him, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

Co'Balt finally got up and made his way back to the stands and sat down next to his leader. Quietly furious and not speaking, Kad barely suppressed a chuckle to him this was hilarious.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"You laughed."

"No."

Kad snickered some more, both of them were silent after that. Co'Balt would be okay in a little bit, this wasn't the first time he had lost, just the most embarrassing.

The rest of the day passed quickly enough. A lot of the fights only lasted a few minutes. Kad leaned back against the wall lightly sleeping. More money exchanged hands in the crowd occasionally. Ren and Nora showed up to sit with RWBY about an hour before class was supposed to end. Ruby was disappointed Jaune and Pyrrha were missing.

Nora reassured the younger girl that her two absent partners would be along shortly. Goodwitch had just planned for Pyrrha to be part of the last match of the day. Their teacher stepped out onto the stage once more, holding her scroll and slowly turning around looking at all of her trainees.

"I know many of you have been waiting for this moment. The last match of the day will be Pyrrha Nikos,"

At the mention of her name the Mistral champion moved into the arena, weapons in hand.

"Against Kad Amaranth."

The audience buzzed, people started talking odds and making bets. Kad was lost in his own world at the moment. He didn't even know he had been called.

He went into a deeper sleep then he had anticipated, and before long he was shifting through these foreign memories again, trying to go back further in them, trying to find some semblance of understanding of what they meant. They felt too real to be just his imagination running off the rails.

Armies of giants, wars across the stars, enemies he had never seen.

Jaxon slapped Kad's leg trying to rouse him,

"Dude!"

Kad nearly jumped out of his skin when he awoke. Blinking in confusion gathering his wits.

"What?" he asked, almost hostile.

"You're up. Want a piece of this action." Jaxon replied tapping his winnings from the last round against his chest.

Kad looked down into the arena. Pyrrha was standing there looking right at him.

_Well this was bound to happen sooner or later_. He thought to himself

Kad stood up silently and stretched to his full height twisting his upper body to loosen his muscles. He picked up Ignis from where he had it placed beside him. Pushing between the two compulsive gamblers, he vaulted over the safety rails down into the arena. He hit the floor and bent his knees to absorb the shock of his landing.

Goodwitch frowned at his unorthodox entry but stepped away to her usual spot beneath the banners in the shadows.

Kad buckled his sword into its harness back onto his chest over his jacket. The lights dimmed once again when he stood across from Nikos, flexing his empty hands. She raised her shield Akouo, crouching behind the circle of metal, and her weapon Milo' held out to her side ready to fight.

Kad began to circle Pyrrha, left hand held out in front of him fingers balled in a fist, right hand on his knife hilt ready to draw it in the blink of an eye. He was much taller and bulkier than Pyrrha, but he knew that didn't faze her.

He had seen her win her fourth Mistral tournament, almost two years ago now. Cinder had brought him to the country and he snuck off to go see the tournament. Pyrrha had fought some other mountain of a man, but still triumphed. She used her agility to take advantage of larger opponents. He had observed that here at Beacon as well.

She was about to realize his size didn't necessarily mean he was slow.

For the moment she seemed content to do nothing,

Fine.

Kad spun, grabbing the chain around his waist at the same time. He clutched it close to one end and swung at Pyrrha when he had completed as he came around.

Rolling to her right she let it fly over her head.

She sprang to her feet, expanded Milo then used it to pole vault at Kad, feet coming right for his face.

Kad reacted, he let go of the hilt of his knife reached up and caught her left ankle before she kicked him in the face. He spun and threw her nearly to the other side of the arena. Pyrrha rolled on the ground but stood up unharmed and undaunted. Effortlessly switching her weapon to a rifle and aiming at Kad.

He was already bringing his chain back up, right hand drawing his knife as well. Pyrrha fired three times. Kad flicked and spun his chain in front of him, smacking the bullets off course and rushing forward to close with Pyrrha.

She lashed out with Milo when he got within reach, swinging overhead. Their blades clashed together, Kad pushed back and kicked out with his left leg.

Pyrrha brought her shield down just in time to catch the full force of his kick right in the middle of her shield. She rolled backwards, feet leaving the ground in a controlled tumble. When she landed and stood Milo was lying across her shoulders as a spear, she jumped forward jabbing at the same time.

Kad flicked his chain up and grabbed an end in each hand. Crossing his arms in front of him he wrapped the metal around Milo turned around and pulled.

Pyrrha was unprepared, she kept holding on her semblance tightening her grip, she was pulled up and over Kad's head and slammed down on the arena floor in front of him.

All the air was knocked out of her, she let go of Milo spun around on the ground and pushed off of Kad's right leg with both feet as he tried to stomp down on her. She rolled and stood a safe distance away from him.

Kad sheathed his knife, and started spinning his chain in both hands, slowly advancing on Pyrrha. She held Milo up backing away. Eyes flicking between her discarded weapon and her opponent. She flung her shield at him and dove for Milo prioritizing offense over defense.

Kad dropped the chain in his left hand and caught the shield. He spun clockwise and tossed it to the other side of the arena. Coming around full circle, he crouched and punched at Pyrrha as she dove past him. He missed and slammed his fist into the floor. He didn't feel bones break but it felt like he had splinters from the tiles he destroyed.

Once she reclaimed Milo, Pyrrha turned around and rapidly struck at Kad trying to breach his guard. He caught a blow from the rear end of Milo on his right shoulder but recovered and intercepted the spear with his knife at every turn.

Pyrrha was too focused on her attack to watch where she stepped.

When she put her weight down on the chain limp across the floor Kad whipped it out from under her with savage force to the left. She lost her balance and nearly her footing, Kad punched her in the stomach right handed holding his knife.

She doubled over and her feet left the ground as she bent over on his arm. Her aura took a massive hit but she wasn't knocked out yet. She got her breath back before she flew out of arms reach. She laid her left hand on his fist, flipped backwards and managed to strike him twice on the jaw once with each foot.

Kad's head snapped back but he was fine. Pyrrha landed only a few feet away. He spun his chain around his left arm and leapt forward. His arm back over his head poised to finish her off.

Pyrrha raised her arms to block, she spun Milo to her right. It pivoted on the floor but didn't fall over. Stopping Kad's arm felt like trying to catch a delivery-truck. But her aura held, she saw the ripples of color briefly as it stopped her from being flattened into paste.

Pyrrha smiled.

She had gotten her hands on the chain.

She couldn't afford to waste time and energy trying to manipulate something with her semblance she had never touched before, lighter metal was easy but this was good solid steel. Just touching a few of the links let gave her enough of a connection to effect the whole length.

Kad attempted to smash his right knee into her stomach. But she jumped up and flipped off of him, Milo flying back into her hands. Once she landed she barely had time to register Kad swinging the chain down overhead at her.

She brought up her right hand leaning to the side and focused her semblance. To the crowd it looked like she had deflected it away at the last second using her bare hand. The metal struck the ground in a shower of sparks.

Kad snarled and swung his chain back around him in a full roundhouse swing left to right at her shoulder height.

She leaned left and deflected it over her head again. Kad saw what she was doing. Spinning once more he threw his chain sideways at Pyrrha.

She back flipped under the flying metal it smashed into the wall, noisily falling to the floor. Kad dropped his knife and took Ignis in both hands, bringing it over his head and holding it out in front of him awaiting Pyrrha's next move.

She stood there catching her breath for a moment. She quickly glanced at their aura levels on the banners. She was hovering in the yellow range. Kad's was still green only showing a slight drop from when she had hit him.

Kad stepped forward and lunged, Pyrrha barely ducked in time. She felt the blade scratch against her head band. She swept up Miloto knock his sword away but Kad was already bringing it over his shoulder. Pyrrha looked to where Akouo was lying discarded to her right a short distance away, trying to judge if she could reach it in time.

Kad chopped down, he wanted this fight over with as soon as possible. Pyrrha raised Milo up in both hands, Ignis slashed down. She managed to deflect it to the left and then she sprinted to try and get to Akouo.

Kad spun right and hacked at her. He mis-judged how high she could jump. She tucked and rolled over the sword, her back nearly touching the blade.

She slid along the floor and grabbed her shield and brought her rifle up to bear.

Kad tapped his foot on the hilt of his knife on the ground. It flipped into the air. He balanced the pommel on the tip of his left boot for a second and then kicked it up and caught the knife by the point.

Pyrrha fired.

Four bullets hit him in the center of his chest. The rubber slugs bounced off his aura, unfazed he threw his knife at the crouching huntress.

Pyrrha blinked from the impact, it didn't hit her shield point first. Kad had timed the rotation wrong.

Kad rushed, he swung Ignis backhanded right. Pyrrha had no way to dodge this time.

Luck was on her side however.

The arena lights snapped on. Kad halted his swing.

All the watching students erupted in protests. Goodwitch walked on stage.

"I am sorry students. Proffessor Ozpin has canceled the rest of today's activities."

Kad planted his sword point down in the floor, holding it up with his left hand, and wiping miniscule amounts of sweat from his forehead with the back of his right. "For what?" he asked.

"The students from Atlas have arrived ahead of schedule. They are appropriating this arena for their orientation."

There was no arguing with Goodwitch at this point. And what the headmaster said went without question.

Pyrrha stood. It had been a long time since she was almost beaten like that. She didn't really know it she could have triumphed or not. Kad held out his hand to shake. She obliged, her hand was engulfed in his massive palm as she shook with him.

"Where did you learn to fight?" she asked,

Kad let go of her hand and shrugged and smiled as he buckled his sword onto his back.

"Here and there, I'll be happy to have a rematch anytime."

She smiled back at him, "Sometime, just not so soon." She was starting to feel the bruises she received from their fight.

The crowd dispersed, Pyrrha rejoined Jaune and left with him to go to the library and find their teammates. Jaxon came down and just shook his head at his leader.

"Come on, I was betting on you."

"Don't blame me for your crap luck, I was going to win."

"But you didn't."

"Call it a draw, at least I didn't lose."

"Meh, speaking of losers Co'Balt's heading for food are we going with him."

"You're buying money bags."

* * *

**A/N Long? maybe... first time writing fights like this, Feedback keeps me going, thanks for taking a look. I know catching up with cannon is boring, probably, but that's what I'm doing. Have a great day.**


	19. The point where it tips

_The great beast reared its head deep in the cave, sniffing the ash filled air of the mountain where it had made its home._

_The salamander rose, at the same time the ground shook not just with the movement of this monster but the entire volcano as well. As if this great lizard was somehow linked to its lair. And all the fury of this rent in the world would be manifested and brought to bear on him._

_He took up his sword to vanquish the beast._

A different kind of creature was descending on team APRC at the moment, not really hostile. Though the manmade flying behemoths from Mistral did cast an ominous shadow over where they were going to land.

The team was sitting on some rocks a short distance from the landing pads. Half of the team was trying to enjoy the afternoon the other two not so much

"Do we seriously have nothing better to do?" Co'Balt asked.

"Yeah… just sit here and creep." Alicia nodded

The visiting students were all orderly walking off of the ships and getting into lines. Kad knew they may not be the most military like people on the planet but their discipline bit deep.

"Call it psychological warfare."

"How Jaxon?" asked Alicia

He stood up on the rock flexing his arm muscles, "They get a good look at the best team in Beacon straight away. HEY assholes, be afraid!"

No one looked.

His team laughed.

Kad smiled, sharpening his knife on part of his chain, looking out over the Mistral visitors again.

_The path was shaky and carrying his kill made walking difficult, the sun had retreated behind the clouds of ash in the air from the mountain's unexpected eruption. Molten rock was flowing down to the lowlands._

His eyes narrowed, a familiar flash of color drifted through the ranks of trainees.

No…

_Can't be._ He thought to himself.

_How many people in the world could have green hair like that?_

A dozen thought trails took off in his head, distracting him from the memories that he had been thinking of at the moment.

Alicia was the one who noticed his sudden laser focus first.

"Kad… You alright?"

"Huh, what?"

"You look like you just saw a ghost."

"No… worse…"

* * *

_He saw him, although not where he expected his son to be._

_Hanging by one hand over a lethal drop, Vulkan still clutched his prize. How long had he been there? Trapped by the approaching magma, unwilling to give up and save himself._

It couldn't have been her.

Kad just kept repeating that mantra to himself as he walked through the halls. The others where in the cafeteria taking advantage of the free time before lights out, Kad was looking for the Mistral exchange students.

One of their teachers chaperoning them gave him a weird look when he approached the door to their orientation meeting. So he walked another circuit around campus but wasn't there when that was over and the students were dismissed. So now he was nearly aimlessly wandering around all over the school.

They seemed to be scattered all over the place, almost like none of them knew where the visiting student dorms were. And he was hesitant to go up and ask one of them if they had seen anyone matching Emerald's description.

_It wasn't her…._

_You know it was…_

So what was she doing here? He had enough mystery in his life. This was just going to eat at him until he figured it out.

So he sat under a tree next to the Beacon dorms watching the visitor's building. Dusk was approaching, the sky turning red as the sun retreated for the night.

They would have told him if something needed to be done at Beacon.

His scroll had been down for a few days. He had discovered how flimsy those devices really were when sat on by someone of his bulk.

Maybe he missed a call.

But her presence here wasn't part of the plan. They were going to come to Vale directly when the tournament began. At least he thought so.

"Are you just gonna sit out here all night?"

Alicia was standing right next to him, he had been so unfocused he hadn't noticed her presence.

"Possibly…"

"What's wrong Kad? Last time you started getting distracted like this you were almost eaten by a giant snake."

"It's nothing."

"Then why are you out here all alone staring at the visitor building?"

Kad sighed, there was no way his partner was going to let him off easy this time, and she couldn't hurt anything if he told her the truth this time.

"I thought I saw someone I knew."

"Who was it?"

"Just someone."

"Does this someone have a name."

"It's not important I can't find her anyway. Was probably just seeing things."

"Then are you going to come hang out?"

"No I think I'll take a walk. I'll meet you guys back in the dorm."

The look on her face was anything but happy. She took his place sitting on the massive gnarled root and watched him walk away.

* * *

This was definitely not nothing.

One's an anomaly, two's a pattern.

And Mercury walking by with Emerald definitely made a pattern. The pair of them hadn't spotted Kad yet. They were coming out of the main classroom hall. Both were dressed in the Haven school uniforms. Silently he approached.

"So a thief and a kickboxer walk into Beacon."

Both of them spun around, surprised, bordering on terrified expressions on their faces.

"Kad! What…"

"Really Mercury? You're the one who is shocked about this?"

"We didn't know you were here."

"Here behind you or here at Beacon?"

Mercury was at a loss for words. Emerald smiled awkwardly and stuttered a response,

"We were co…"

But Kad cut her off, had some questions for the two of them.

"No wonder you two aren't allowed to think, great minds like those that can't remember simple facts like where their old friends are supposed to be. It's amazing you remembered to put on pants this morning. Where's Cinder?"

Emerald silently pulled out her scroll, looking angrier with every passing moment.

"Room 19C, do you…"

Kad pushed between the two of them nothing further needed to be said or heard. Now was not the time to try and rebuild a few bridges. They tried to hide it, but Kad had noticed how resentful they became of his rapid rise in prestige in their little group. They had been with Cinder for years and in only a few months with them he was already trusted with more responsibility then either one of them had ever been.

The two of them followed Kad into the visitor building. He ducked into the nearest stairway and climbed up to the third floor. Mercury and Emerald had a hard time keeping up with him at a walking pace, the length of his stride was unmatched and impatience was doing the opposite of slowing him down.

Soft light was glowing from the few lamps Cinder had turned on in her quarters. She was standing by a bed unpacking things from a small purse, jewelry, crystals, her scroll, and a few other trinkets. She turned towards him when he entered the room.

"Before you say anything Kad..."

"This wasn't part of the plan."

"It is _my_ plan. I decide how best to carry it out. The tournament is not accepting unaffiliated contestants this year so we are entering as Mistral competitors."

"When did that happen?"

"A couple of weeks ago, we tried to contact you recently but had… difficulty."

Kad took a few calming breaths, his anger abating. He had felt so sure he had been betrayed in some way. Cinder wasn't done.

"Why couldn't you answer the other day Kad?"

"My scroll broke it's nothing."

She went back to her luggage,

"What? Is that it?" He asked.

Cinder turned around and walked straight at him. He was several feet taller and outweighed her by a few hundred pounds, but nothing ever made her scared.

"Yes that is it. Plans change nothing to worry about. Plus we couldn't afford to waste this opportunity."

"Opportunity for what?"

"That's none of your concern."

They both stared into the other's eyes, each unblinking,

She was challenging him, silently daring him to question her judgment, or his role for the future, again.

Without a word Kad turned around and left his mentor behind. Mercury and Emerald said nothing as he walked by back to the stairs down and out onto the campus.

Mercury closed the door behind him after following Emerald into their room. Glad to be free of Kad once again.

"Good riddance," he muttered, although not as quietly as he hoped he had.

"What was that Mercury?" Cinder asked.

He clenched his fist, "Nothing…"

"It was a hard decision. Whether to keep you or him at my side for this, you know that."

"Yes…"

"Please stop trying to make me regret that decision."

"Sorry."

* * *

In silence he walked through one of the small groves of trees on campus, circling around the shadowed plants, trying to decide what to do.

Whenever he couldn't think Kad would pause and look at the sky, night was better when he could see the stars. If something was troubling him he would just try and remember where he came from. That mystery more complex than anything in the normal world would put his problems into another light and then usually he could make a decision.

Not this time, he had been so sure what was going on only this morning. Cinder's presence here made him worried. Fluid plans be dammed, she never went off track with anything she did.

In the end he couldn't see how it mattered, her plans for him didn't matter in the present. But that knowledge just got under his skin more.

Twigs snapped above his head, he heard small wings beating the air as a creature landed. He looked up expecting an owl or some other type of night bird.

The small Nevermore tilted its head and looked right at Kad from where it landed.

Time slowed, his heart accelerated.

No matter how small, no wild Grimm could ever be allowed to walk on Beacon's ground. And this creature landing in arms reach was just asking for trouble.

His right hand darted down to his knife. He drew it nearly out of the scabbard ready to slice the bird in half when he heard,

**"****Always searching aren't you?"**

It was back…

The Grimm glided over to another tree, lower at about chest height, out of his reach.

**"****You feel it don't you?"**

"Go Away!" he nearly yelled,

**"****You don't belong here. Ignore it all you want, you're not like them."**

"Who?"

It laughed, its mouth finally moving but, it sounded like the actual bird should.

**"****Hahahaha, everyone. Mortals…"**

In the blink of an eye his knife was spinning at the Nevermore. But much to his amazement it ducked and his knife slammed point first into the tree.

**"****It confuses you doesn't it, they don't think like you. You are trapped and straining against your bonds."**

With only his right hand Kad reached up pulled Ignis off his back, the blade shimmered with fire, glowing and leaving spots on the edges of his vision.

**"****Are you truly meant to just sit back? Stay on the side while the world moves?"**

"I have a job to do."

**"****Promises to keep?"**

He took a step forward and pointed with his sword, "Piss off."

**"****Not so easy to live the life of a follower is it? You share your sire's memories, you were meant for more."**

_This thing knew about his dreams_

"What do you know?"

**"****All that you do, so why don't you see it? Is everything as it seems? Choices approach, perhaps you may see what needs to be done, or you can be swept aside like all too many before."**

"What do you want?"

**"****You should not ask questions to which you already know the answer."**

With that last cryptic remark the Grimm took to the air and disappeared into the dark, outlined in the sky for a moment against the broken moon but then gone again.


End file.
